


An Osprey in a Pirate's World

by owls4ever



Series: Picking up the Pieces [3]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Boats and Ships, Canon Compliant, M/M, Maeve is a bitch, POV Vaughan (Throne of Glass), Pirates, Post-Canon, Saturday Updates, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owls4ever/pseuds/owls4ever
Summary: After Fenrys finds Vaughan, he gives the male a choice: join Aelin's court or start a new life somewhere else. Vaughan chooses the latter and makes his way towards the Dead Islands. What better home could an osprey find than an archipelago? But when he gets there, plots are uncovered and relationships are forged. Who is Vaughan, really? And who will he become?This is a direct sequel toFinding an Osprey.
Relationships: Vaughan & Rolfe (Throne of Glass), Vaughan/Rolfe (Throne of Glass)
Series: Picking up the Pieces [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077755
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Off to Skull's Bay

**Author's Note:**

> i. Please note that this is a direct sequel to [Finding an Osprey](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271206). I highly recommend that you read it first.
> 
> ii. This is my first multichapter fic. I haven't quite finished writing it first, but I am planning to post a chapter every Saturday.
> 
> iii. Feel free to leave any polite constructive criticism or tell me your thoughts. I hope you enjoy it!

After the mess that is meeting Rowan’s new mate, all Vaughan wants to do is escape. Honestly, he’s been a bit overwhelmed ever since seeing Fenrys. The male had acted like they’d been apart for ages, when it had barely been a year. Maeve often had a fondness for sending them out on long assignments -- upwards of two or three decades -- and none of them had ever batted an eye.

And then, of course, there were all the bombs Fenrys had dropped, just about short-circuiting Vaughan’s brain. Gods, Connall and Gavriel had been killed, _Maeve_ had been killed, Rowan had found _another_ mate, as if the trauma of the first mate wasn’t enough, and now Vaughan was expected to join them?

He actually didn’t have much of a problem with joining Rowan’s mate’s court. It would give him a tether, something to hold on to and return to when he needed. He had been tied to Maeve for so long freedom seemed strange and out of reach. Sure, he had always entertained thoughts of what he'd do if he ever got free of the blood oath. They all had. But he'd never expected it to actually _happen_.

And then when they actually got to Orynth and he had smelled a new note interwoven into Lorcan’s leather and honey scent, he had almost lost all sense of what was going on. Gods, he needed time to process everything! Lorcan, _Lorcan_ , Hellas’ scion himself, who was over five hundred years old, who had been mooning after Maeve for at least the last four hundred of them, and who had never bothered to hold on to anyone for more than a year or two had ended up in a serious relationship. One serious enough to forever mark his scent. And, apparently, serious enough to give up his immortality if he was only expected to live another handful of decades.

But then the queen, Aelin, or whatever her name was, had told him he didn’t have to stay in Orynth. And he had frozen. What would he do if he left? He was on a continent he’d never been to before, where Fae were a rarity and something to be remarked upon, and she didn’t want him. At the same time, he was almost pleased, because Maeve had never bothered to find out what he wanted or cared about, not in the four hundred and fifty-odd years he had served her.

No, where Maeve forced him to stay in the City of Rivers or go even farther inland, to the hot, miserable deserts of faraway countries, Aelin offered him an archipelago. Where Maeve acted like her city was the best place any of them could hope to find themselves, Aelin acknowledged he’d probably hate living in the mountains and forests of Terrasen. Where Maeve had shackled him to her side, Aelin set him free.

So he left.

Now, as he takes a break to rest his tired wings and get something to eat, he regrets it a little. He hadn’t said good-bye to any of them, he had just left. He had been remarkably rude to the queen. Given her reaction, he doesn’t think she cares much, but he still sometimes shudders at memories of how Maeve would punish them. She always had a knack for knowing when her blood-sworn got antsy and rude. Even just an idle thought could warrant a whipping.

But he can’t exactly fly back just to say good-bye, now, can he? So Vaughan heads southeast, stopping at little coastal villages or the occasional port town for the night.

After a week of travel, he realizes he doesn’t actually know where he’s going. Aelin had mentioned Skull’s Bay, and Rolfe, but she hadn’t shown him where this archipelago was. He assumes, since he’s on the coast, he is at least heading in sort of the right direction, but he can't be sure. And ever since he accidentally let someone catch sight of his Fae ears and canines, he has tried to attract as little notice as possible. When he does get attention, it's never pleasant. Some people will come and fawn over him, others will act like he is Hellas incarnate.

Of course, if they think _Vaughan_ is Hellas incarnate, they have clearly never met Lorcan. Although, if the demi-Fae has a mate now, maybe he isn’t quite as bad as he used to be. Vaughan isn’t sure. He can think about it more later.

\---

Eventually, Vaughan manages to reach what seem to be the outskirts of a very large city. It’s bustling with people, and there are a large number of ships docked along the shore. Vaughan figures that, if he is ever going to find somewhere he could ask directions to Skull’s Bay, it will be here. Maybe these people have seen Fae before, and won’t tremble in fear at the sight of him.

Vaughan sighs. He can but hope… 

Still, the tall male makes his way along the docks until he finds a busy-looking building. It appears to be an inn for sailors, and Vaughan figures it’ll be as good a place as any to ask about Skull’s Bay.

Once inside the inn, Vaughan makes his way towards the bar along the wall. The woman standing behind it looks bored, but she is also watching the patrons like a hawk. Vaughan guesses she owns the place. Behind the woman’s head is a sign reading “The Dead Wyvern,” which Vaughan takes to be the name of the place.

Sure enough, as he walks over, the woman calls out, “Welcome to the _Dead Wyvern_. How can I help you? We’ve got rooms available and maps of the city if you’re a traveler.”

Vaughan shrugs. “I need a bed for the night and information,” he says, trying to seem friendly and as nonthreatening as possible. He is aware he tends to give off broody warrior vibes, and yes, they come in helpful sometimes, but this is neither the time nor the place for them.

The woman nods. “A silver a night if you want a room. That’ll include dinner as well, but you’re going to have to pay extra if you want breakfast or lunch here as well.”

Vaughan nods. It seems fair enough, and he only plans to be here for one night anyway. Plus, he still has plenty of money on him, as well as plenty of assorted blades he can sell off if he absolutely has to. He doesn't really want to hold onto anything from Doranelle. Although he does carry around a few sentimental items from his brothers. But the Erileans probably wouldn't see their value anyway.

The woman continues, “I’m Marisol, proprietor of the _Wyvern_. You said you wanted information?” She gives him an assessing look and adds, “The information itself will be free, but any maps you want you’ll have to pay for.”

Vaughan shrugs again. He just wants to know where this damn archipelago is, not a guided tour of whatever city he’s ended up in! “I’m looking for a place called Skull’s Bay.”

Marisol’s eyebrows rise almost to her hairline. “What do you want with the pirates?” She suddenly looks suspicious. “You aren’t casing out the harbor or anything for them, are you?”

Vaughan sighs. “I need to know where it is.”

Marisol relaxes a little, although she still seems to have her hackles up. “Mm. Fine. There’s a boat in port, just got in yesterday from Skull’s Bay.” She closes her eyes for a moment and thinks. “Oh, right. Her name is _Midnight Madness_ , captained by a woman named Eleira Rawl. _Madness_ will be easy to find; she'll probably be one of the bigger ships docked out there. Her hull is black with gold lettering.”

Vaughan thanks Marisol, pays for his room and heads up. If what she claims is true, and he has no reason to believe it isn’t, then it should be remarkably easy to get to Skull’s Bay. As he drifts off to sleep, Vaughan can’t help but wonder what it’ll be like to finally get to live near the sea. In all four hundred and fifty years or so that he had served Maeve, he had spent a grand total of a year near the sea. Being able to live on an archipelago is almost a dream come true.

He can’t help but worry, though, that it will all turn out to be a manipulation. _Maybe this is all a dream, created by a mind starved for home and freedom_ , Vaughan thinks uneasily as he tries to fall asleep. _What if, when I wake up, it'll turn out to be a new torture by Maeve? What if I wake to find she's dangled this in front of me like a proverbial carrot, only to yank it away just as I started to hope?_

\---

When Vaughan wakes up, his first thought is, _Where the hell am I?_ The city is saturated with the scent of brine and rotting fish. It clearly isn't Doranelle; aside and apart from the fact that the rivers are freshwater, Maeve never would've allowed her city to stink like this. After a few moments of heart-pounding terror, Vaughan finally remembers that he had arrived in this city yesterday, and that today he plans to track down the black and gold ship and head for Skull’s Bay.

When he gets downstairs, Vaughan sees Marisol in more or less the exact same position she had been in the night before. Seeing Vaughan, she waves him over, and he dutifully makes his way to the bar.

Marisol leans in toward him and discreetly points over his shoulder. “The woman over in the corner with the chocolate skin and wyvern tattoos? That’s Eleira. Captain Rawl. If you want to get to Skull’s Bay, she’s definitely your best bet.”

Vaughan nods his thanks before heading to the woman Marisol had indicated. She is sitting in a table that manages to be half under the stairs, giving her the best view of anyone in the inn, with no fear of someone sneaking up behind her. Vaughan drops into the seat across from her and opens his mouth, but the captain cuts him off.

“Well, now, just make yourself right at home, why don’t you?” she drawls, looking him up and down. “I don’t know where you’re from, but that’s considered impolite where I’m from.”

“Where are you from?” Vaughan asks. He already likes the captain. She reminds him of some of the females from his youth, before Maeve got her claws in him.

“Slick one, aren’t you? Turning the conversation on me without giving anything in return?” She waits, but Vaughan only tips his head slightly. “I see. Well, if you came to me, you want a berth on _Madness_. See, now, that’s going to cost you. If you’re heading to Skull’s Bay you’ve got secrets and a past to hide from. And a pretty male like you, older than dirt itself? You’ve got more secrets than most.”

Vaughan sighs. She does have a point. He is probably older than the combined age of every single person in the room, and he’s spent the majority of those years collecting himself a treasure trove of secrets. It was his own form of rebellion; Maeve used the ocean as leverage against him, so he collected secrets to leverage against her and anyone else he met.

Eleira continues, “Yep. So I’m right. Well, you can pay me now or when we get to Skull’s Bay. Just be aware Rolfe’ll want a secret as insurance.”

“Insurance?”

“Yeah.” Eleira nods and adds, “Rolfe had a run-in with some Fae a while back. He claims they’re the reason he got dragged into a war, and he doesn’t really trust them anymore. Plus, the only Fae here are from Terrasen, and Rolfe’s history with the Queen of Terrasen is… strained to say the least. You do at least know who Rolfe is, yes?”

Eleira fixes Vaughan with an expectant look and he nods.

“Good,” she says. “It would have been worrisome if you’d decided to go to an infamous pirate country and didn’t even know who the lord was.” She pauses and looks around the inn. She nods thoughtfully and then says, “If you want to take _Madness_ , you’ll need to be at the dock within a half hour. I think we’ll cast off then. The winds are good today.”

She stands rather abruptly and stalks off, leaving Vaughan behind.

After a moment or two, Vaughan gets up as well, pays Marisol, and heads out to the docks. It isn’t hard to find _Midnight Madness_. Marisol had given a fairly accurate description: large black ship with golden lettering at the prow. 

What she hadn’t included was the striking figurehead. Vaughan can’t help but stare up at it. Where many of the nearby ships have a woman in varying stages of undress draped across their prows, _Madness_ does not. Her figurehead is humanoid, at least vaguely, but it is fully clothed. Strangely, its head is not attached to its neck, as it should be. Instead, the figure is holding its head aloft the way one might hold a lantern.

As Vaughan gets closer, he is able to make out more detail. It appears the figure’s head is hollow and has plenty of space for a candle. While a normal, serene face wouldn’t be much use for lighting purposes, the face’s expression is frozen in terror. Its eyes are wide and unseeing, and its mouth is stretched wide and agape.

Beyond the state of the figure’s head, what is perhaps even more disturbing are the figure’s legs. From the waist up, the figure appears human, albeit wooden. It is wearing a double-breasted coat with smart lapels and intricate buttons. From the waist down, the figure seems to be some sort of sea creature, with tendrils and suckers escaping out where a human’s legs and feet would be. It amounts to a very strange half-man half-beast hybrid.

“You like him, then?” comes a voice from behind him, and Vaughan narrowly avoids falling into the water. He hadn’t realized just how close to the edge of the pier he’d gotten.

“Is it anyone in particular?” he asks, turning to find a young man, really more of a boy, grinning up at him.

“Oh, yes. It’s our mascot, see. The Wandering Captain. It’s a famous story in the Islands. But you’ll want to come aboard first. We can tell you tonight.”

Vaughan blinks. “Tonight?"

“Yeah. We don't have time to yap now. Captain wants to set sail soon. And since you're coming with us, we'll tell you the story tonight. Better setting, anyway." The boy grins.

Vaughan cocks his head. "How?" he asks.

"What, the stranger craning his neck so far to see our dear old figurehead that he almost falls off the pier doesn’t want to come aboard?” The boy grins cheekily. “Also, Captain told us you were coming. Said we ought to steer you on board if we saw you.”

Vaughan sighs. “Where do I go?”

“Right you are. Follow me.” The boy proceeds to lead him around the ship and towards a gangplank. “Up you go. Got any luggage?” he asks, shepherding Vaughan along.

“Just what I’ve got on me.”

“Good. Not everyone seems to understand that we don’t have space for all the shit they see fit to drag around with them. Say, what’s your name?”

“Vaughan.”

“Ah, well then, Vaughan, here we are,” the boy crows, gesturing to a door. They have made their way belowdecks a level or two, and the people moving about seem mostly crew with the occasional passenger. “If you need anything, come find me. My name’s Shane. Captain told me to keep an eye on you.”

“All right,” Vaughan murmurs, ducking inside his cabin. It is tiny, although he can’t really say he expected anything else. A ship like this is not the type that carries passengers regularly, and he guesses his berth was once a supply closet or something similar. It does have a bunk, for which he is grateful, and enough floorspace to dump his pack.

Within a few minutes, he hears a horn blow, and the noise from the deck and the passageway seems to increase. His cabin doesn’t have a porthole or anything useful, but he’s pretty sure it means the ship is setting sail. Almost immediately, a knock comes at his door.

“Yes?” Vaughan opens the door to find the same young man, Shane, standing in front of him. Vaughan raises his eyebrows and waits. He’s never been much of a fan of verbal communication, especially not when he can convey the same information through facial expressions or body language.

“One said I should come get you. Said if you want passage you're going to have to work for it, not just sit pretty.” The boy grins, showing dimples. “I said I’d come get you, you could probably row worth at _least_ two men.”

Vaughan sighs. He honestly doesn’t care, and maybe it’ll give him something to do. “Lead the way,” he says, gesturing for Shane to move.


	2. The Wandering Captain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: there is a discussion of an attempted suicide. Be forewarned if that concerns you. It is during the ghost story.
> 
> Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

The voyage ends up taking three weeks. Vaughan learns that Captain Rawl, referred to as Captain by the crew, is in charge of everything, though she tends to leave individual management up to her first mate, a middle-aged pirate known only as One.

The crew quickly learns that he is perfectly willing to work for his passage on the ship. One takes advantage of Vaughan's Fae strength and stamina and assigns him to extra hours rowing. When he isn't manning an oar, he is sent out to scout. Flying in a search pattern as an osprey is far more efficient than a human stuck in the crow's nest.

Vaughan is given a few geography lessons as well. He knows he had been in Terrasen, Aelin's country. According to Shane and his other crewmembers, the large city they are sailing out of is Rifthold, the capital city of Adarlan. Adarlan is the country just south of Terrasen. The Dead Islands are actually a fair bit away, nestled off the coasts of Fenharrow and Eyllwe. People tend to assume that they are more northward, especially with the Islands' recent ties to Adarlan and Terrasen, but that is not the case.

On the first night out of Rifthold, Shane comes to collect Vaughan from his cabin. The boy brings him to the galley, where a variety of other crewmembers are sprawled about.

“You wanted to know about our figurehead, right?” Shane asks, leaning forward towards Vaughan, who grunts in acknowledgement.

“Okay. Its name is the Wandering Captain, and it’s the protagonist of a famous ghost story in the Islands."

Shane takes a deep breath, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, and begins. His voice has suddenly dropped at least an octave, and his eyes are suddenly a bright, electric blue.

“One night, dark and quiet, when the moon was new and the stars were tired, a captain sailed his ship for home. The night was so dark he could not see the dangers he passed. But this was a good captain, one who had sailed for decades, and he knew what dangers he faced. Desperate to avoid the reef guarding his home and the monsters he could hear splashing off the bow, the captain prayed to the Sea God, asking for guidance and protection.”

At the reference to the Sea God, quite a few of the crewmembers start to murmur and make the sign against evil.

“The captain dropped to his knees on the prow, begging the god, offering anything in return. The water rippled around his ship, the quiet night unbroken, before a faint glimmer appeared. The Sea God lit a path through the water, guiding the ship to safety. Silent as death, the ship glided along, a stiff breeze propelling her. She docked as if by magic, nestled safe in her berth at harbor. It wasn’t until morning the captain discovered the terrible price the Sea God had exacted.”

Shane closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, seeming to channel the story through himself. Vaughan realizes the boy must have a storytelling magic, pulling story threads from forgotten history and weaving them together, keeping history alive. The magic itself is fairly rare, although he knows one of the demi-Fae at Mistward possesses it. Doranelle had always treasured Story Keepers, but Vaughan has never felt entirely comfortable around them. They can dredge up secrets more easily than anyone else Vaughan has ever encountered.

“When the dawn light came, the captain found himself and his ship safely berthed and safe at harbor. It hadn't been a dream at all! Overjoyed, he raced to his crew, shouting the good news. When no answer came, the captain went looking for his first mate. Surely they would know where everyone was! But to no avail; the captain soon found every single person on his ship dead. Horrified, he stumbled off the ship, running through the town, desperate for help, desperate for someone to comfort him and absolve him of any guilt. What he found were the dead bodies of every single townsmen, his family, his friends, his enemies. Every single person who lived in that town was dead. And it was all the captain’s fault."

Shane pauses to take a sip of water before picking up the tale once more.

“Driven mad with grief and guilt, the captain ran for the docks and dove off the end, hoping to drown himself and thereby end his misery. But the Sea God would not let him off so easily. It is said that though he sank to the bottom of the sea, he failed to die, kept alive by the infernal power of the Sea God. His legs became tentacles, the better to propel him through the water. His head separated from his body, lit from within by flickering flame.”

Shane glances up at Vaughan, his eyes still their electric blue. Holding eye contact with Vaughan, he finishes the story.

“The captain is said to still wander the deep sea, trying to find a way to die. He holds his head as a lantern, looking for a place the Sea God can not reach. Some say he has gone so mad after centuries of endless wandering that he searches for his lost crew. When he finds a bustling, living ship like this one, some say he murders those he finds. After al, what better way to create empty vessels for the ghosts of his crew to inhabit? On nights when the moon has gone dark and the wind has dropped, sometimes you can see him. A far off glimmer of light, floating just above the sea. The gentle sound of tentacles hitting the water. Those are the signs that the Wandering Captain is near.”

Shane closes his eyes after he finishes and slumps slightly. A minute later, he perks up again and looks at Vaughan. Vaughan can't help but relax when he sees that Shane's eyes have returned to their natural murky green color. It would seem that, whatever magic the boy harnesses to tell his stories, he is no longer actively controlling it.

“Well then,” Shane says, leaning back. “That’s the story of our figurehead. It’s a pretty popular ghost story in Skull’s Bay and across the Islands in general. We use it to caution people against asking for too much or making deals with the Sea God. She will always fulfill the deal, but she will screw you over so badly in the process that you’ll wish you never even considered asking.”

“Tell him the Pirate’s story!” someone calls from the back.

Shane tips his head to the side and thinks for a minute before finally saying, “I can’t. It’s not my story to tell. He’ll have to ask the Pirate himself. If the Pirate wants him to know, the Pirate will tell him.”

Vaughan waits. He isn’t sure what they’re referring to, but he also doesn’t really care enough to ask. If they feel the need to fill him in, they probably will.

Sure enough, Shane turns back to Vaughan and says, “The Pirate Lord, Rolfe, is the closest thing Skull’s Bay has to a king, and most of the continental royalty recognize his legitimacy. He has a… treasure, I guess you could call it. It’s a map of sorts, and he got it through his own bargain with the Sea God. Things didn’t turn out particularly well, but if you want details you’ll have to get them from him.”

Vaughan nods. He can accept that.

When it becomes clear Vaughan isn't going to respond or share anything about himself, the various crewmembers return to playing games and trading stories. For the most part, the large Fae male crouched in the corner is ignored, which suits Vaughan just fine.

\---

After three straight weeks of sailing and/or rowing, depending on the wind, _Midnight Madness_ is in sight of land. Shane explains to Vaughan that it is the largest island of the archipelago, Nie Zyje, and the one with the only city. Shane lists off the other four islands -- Pirat, Woda, Zloto, and Wiwerna -- and explains that while all four of the smaller islands are inhabited, they mostly contain small villages, towns, and smugglers’ outposts.

As they come into port, Vaughan is told to get out of the way. It would seem that the skills he has been learning for the past few weeks are all well and good, but he isn't much help at docking. He takes the chance to shift and fly across the city. Almost immediately, he decides he loves it. The city is saturated with the scent of salty sea air, the scent that has always felt like home to him. He realizes that this is where he was always meant to be, in the same way Rowan was always meant to be in Terrasen. 

Vaughan had only seen the prince briefly in Orynth, but he remembers the first time he flew through the Terrasen forests. He had been convinced the male was hiding behind every tree and had spent the first few weeks constantly on edge. Fae often get antsy when covered in the scent of someone they know but aren't bonded with. There's a territorial satisfaction in covering someone important to you in your scent, and the same in being covered in their scent. But to be covered in the scent of someone you only sometimes trust and are only occasionally even friends with? It's nigh-on unbearable. Vaughan's not sure how Fenrys and Lorcan can stand it.

Perching on a rooftop, Vaughan takes in the city he has decided will be his home for at least the next few centuries, and possibly even until the Darkness claims him.

The city sits in a crescent, cradling the harbor _Madness_ sailed into. At the mouth of the harbor stand two towers, one on each side, with what look like a giant chain stretching between them. Vaughan guesses it can be raised to keep ships in or out as needed, although it is currently lowered, allowing free passage in or out. The towers also seem to be bristling with various weapons including what looks like an enormous harpoon gun.

The city itself is bustling, though definitely not in the best shape. It seems to be a relatively typical port town, one that subsists on trade. Most of the buildings are wooden and not in the best shape, giving portions of the town a ramshackle and disreputable feel. It looks remarkably like the slums of any major city, just without the fancy mansions and estates of the wealthy. Skull's Bay has districts, sure. They are the docks, the houses and taverns, the forest, and the beach. Unless the forest hides a sprawl of wealthy mansions, there doesn't appear to be much social or economic stratification.

Eventually, Vaughan realizes he isn’t entirely sure where to go or what to do from here. He also realizes he hasn't managed to pay Captain Rawl for the journey yet, and he feels honor-bound to track her down and offer payment. He has never been as driven by honor as Gavriel was, but he has always kept a strict personal code. With Maeve stripping everything he cared about away from him, honor was one of the few things Vaughan could control and keep constant.

It isn’t too hard to find Eleira. The crew of _Madness_ have finished docking and begun unloading their cargo by the time he makes his way back, and the captain is disembarking, Shane and One in tow. Vaughan flies up to them and shifts, falling into step with Shane, who walks a few steps behind the captain and her first mate.

“Hello,” Shane exclaims cheerfully. “You can turn into a bird?” he asks, but doesn't give a chance for Vaughan to respond. “I’ve always loved animals. Can you be any animal or just the bird?”

“Just an osprey,” Vaughan responds.

Shane chatters on. “That’s so cool! I’d heard Fae could turn into animals, but I’ve never met one, and I almost didn’t believe it. There were some here a year ago or so, but _Maddy_ was at sea, and I didn’t get to meet them."

“ _Maddy_?” Vaughan asks, confused.

“Yes. _Midnight Madness_. Most of the crew calls her _Madness_ , but I couldn’t say that for a while, so I shortened it to _Maddy_. I still call her that sometimes.”

Vaughan nods. _I guess he's younger than I thought. But fair enough. And it's a cute nickname._ “Why don’t you use your magic?”

Shane frowns. “My magic? My magic would not help me say ‘Madness’ properly. I have storytelling magic, not language magic.”

Vaughan sighs. Why does this boy have to be so talkative? “No. For a story about the Fae.”

“Oh!” Shane tilts his head to the side, considering it. “I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it. It’s usually easier with an audience, someone to tell the story to. It’s not really a story without an audience, you know? So my magic isn’t always helpful if I’m just using it for myself. Hey, what’s your magic? Don’t all Fae have magic?”

Vaughan sighs again. He has always had a love/hate relationship with his magic. It always reminds him of the sea and a childhood he can barely remember, while at the same time reminding him of the living torture Maeve constantly inflicted upon him. It was also, in Maeve’s eyes, one of the less useful gifts in combat, so he was constantly ridiculed for it. Which he's unclear on, because his magic is basically a warmed-up version of Rowan's.

“Vaughan?” Shane prompts, snapping Vaughan from his reverie.

“Water. And wind,” he answers, staring ahead.

Shane gasps. “That’s amazing! Can you control currents? Can you summon water out of thin air? Do you have lots of it? Hey, can you control just water or anything in it? Like, if someone was drowning, could you levitate them in the water and back on board? Could you make a pocket of air for people to dive? What about for you to dive? Can you make fish do cool tricks? That’s so much better than storytelling!"

_Of course_ , Vaughan realizes, _the pirates would be the ones to approve of water magic. If anyone will see its uses, it’ll be the people who live on islands and rely on the water for everything. As if I need more proof that this is where I want to spend the rest of my life._ He looks over at Shane and relaxes slightly. “Yeah,” he says.

Shane stops moving. “What?!” he screeches excitedly, and Captain Rawl and One turn around to see what’s going on, as well as many of the people in the street. Shane starts hopping up and down. “You can do all of that?” Shane’s voice rises with each word until he is practically squeaking. He's so excited, he's practically vibrating.

Vaughan winces. He hates attention. “Probably.” He starts walking again, hoping Shane will drop it and let him talk to the captain.

Fortunately for Vaughan, Shane seems to realize he doesn't really want to talk. The boy starts up a conversation with One, and Captain Rawl beckons Vaughan over.

“I’m taking you to meet Captain Rolfe,” she says. “A high-profile Fae with a strong affinity for water magic? Oh, he’ll be very interested in meeting you.” She glances over at him and adds, “While we head over there, why don’t you tell me your secret? Why come here, to the Dead Islands? What drives you?”

Vaughan shrugs. “The queen I served is dead. I want to live near the sea.”

Captain Rawl nods knowingly. “Yeah, you’ll fit right in. All of us are either running to something or from something, though most of us don’t know or don’t care which.”

Vaughan keeps silent. He’s never been one for all this wishy-washy here or there bullshit. He much prefers hard truth, the kind Maeve held onto and dispensed like candy or treats for her favorite pets.

Before much longer, Vaughan and Captain Rawl find themselves standing in front of a tavern called the _Sea Dragon_. The captain snorts at the look on Vaughan’s face.

“Yeah, most people don’t think the illustrious Pirate Lord would work out of a tavern, but they’d be wrong. Come on.” She leads Vaughan into the tavern, One and Shane still following. Once inside, though, One and Shane peel off to get something to drink, though the boy does not look old enough to be able to handle liquor well.

“Up you go,” the captain says, shooing him up the stairs and following behind him. Once on the second floor, she directs Vaughan to a closed door at the end of the hall and leans against the wall, crossing her arms. At Vaughan’s raised eyebrows, she explains, “He’ll want to talk to you, not me. I’ll be here if I’m needed.”

Vaughan shrugs and opens his hand to knock. Before he can actually manage to hit the wood of the door, a male voice calls out, “Come in.” Vaughan does as told and walks into the room.

The room itself is set up quite nicely. The desk near the back wall, facing the door, is large and solid. Vaughan can't make out much more about it, since the surface is littered with papers and trinkets. There are a large number of knives and daggers strewn across the desk’s surface as well, Vaughan notes, as well as a variety stuck into the walls at random intervals. Some of them are even still piercing scraps of paper, though the sheets themselves seem to be long gone.

“Can I help you?” the man at the desk drawls, and Vaughan takes him in. He has short, dark brown hair and murky green eyes. Oddly enough, they are the same eyes as Shane has, and Vaughan realizes this man must be the boy’s father. His clothes are in decent condition and well-made, and his hands are covered in black leather gloves.

“I was told you wanted to see me,” Vaughan says, letting the other man lead this conversation. He is curious as to what, exactly, the man wants.

“Yes…” the man says, drawing the word out slowly. “Skull’s Bay is once again graced with the presence of Fae. And you intend to stay?”

“Yes.”

“Can you sail? Do you have any marketable skills?”

“I have water magic.”

“Hmm.” The man seems ambivalent towards this. “And you are Fae. I suppose you can be taught what you do not know.” His eyes narrow and he says suddenly, “Did Aelin send you? I don’t want an envoy from her.”

Vaughan shrugs. “She suggested I might prefer the sea to the mountains.”

The man nods. “Fine. But if I find out that you are spying on me, I will have you killed and hide your body where no one can find it. Whether you're spying on her behalf, your own, or someone else's.”

“You can try.”

The man laughs suddenly. “Yes, I suppose I can. My name’s Rolfe. And yours?"

“Vaughan.”

“Very well then, Vaughan. Find a place to stay and we’ll talk more in a few days. I’m sure I can find something to do with you. Everyone in Skull’s Bay earns their keep.”


	3. Exploring Skull's Bay

As promised, Vaughan is summoned back to Rolfe’s office in a few days. When he gets there, he is directed to sit outside the office. Apparently, even though Rolfe is the one who summoned him, the Pirate Lord is not ready to see him yet. Vaughan isn't particularly surprised; this is exactly the kind of bullshit power play Maeve had always loved. Summon someone, make it sound urgent, make them wait until _you_ are ready, and further prove that you have all of the power. Vaughan is fucking tired of it.

It isn’t long before the office door opens, and a number of people, including Captain Rawl, file out. Rolfe sticks his head out and smiles at Vaughan.

“Vaughan. Thank you for coming. Come on in,” Rolfe says, ducking back into his office.

A little put off, Vaughan follows. The power play and the Pirate Lord moniker haven't given off the impression that Rolfe is nice, polite, or kind. But he still uses manners, which feels strange. When you hold all of the power in a situation, why bother being polite?

Inside, Rolfe is busily writing something at his desk. Vaughan sits in the empty chair on the other side of the desk and waits. He’s sure the other man will get around to whatever he needs at some point.

Sure enough, Rolfe finishes writing something with a flourish and sets down his pen. The pirate looks up at Vaughan and cocks his head to one side. So,” he starts. “The last Fae to grace these shores were companions of yours, I think. Two golden-haired males, a Gavriel and Fenrys, and a silver-haired male in love with the Assassin Queen.”

Vaughan nods. “The Lion, the White Wolf, and Rowan.”

Rolfe snorts. “What, no fancy titles for the last one?”

Vaughan shrugs. “The Hawk Prince?” he suggests.

“Ha!” Rolfe starts laughing. His eyes start to water, and he clutches his belly. It seems like a massive overreaction for something that isn't really all that funny. Finally, the pirate manages to suck in enough breath to say, “I’m gonna like you.”

Vaughan shrugs. He’s not quite sure what to say to this. No one really _likes_ him, he's just good at what he does and useful. Fortunately, Rolfe doesn't seem to need a response, and the pirate barrels on.

“Well then, what’s your fancy title? You are from Doranelle, are you not? One of the warriors who guarded Queen Maeve?”

Vaughan spits. “The Osprey. And Maeve is dead.”

Rolfe nods, regarding Vaughan. “Yes, I was at Orynth when it happened. I was a bit busy defending the battlements, but Aelin glowed. I saw when Maeve was killed." Rolfe blinks and sighs before shaking his head and grinning. "The Osprey? What kind of title is that? All of you sound like bad superheroes made up by children, with silly magical powers like the ability to never sleep.”

Vaughan shrugs. It’s fair, after all. Mortals tend to take their adventures and twist them into stories of heroics to be told around fires on lonely nights. “They're all based in truth,” he offers.

"What, so you are an osprey? And you don't sleep?" Rolfe asks. He seems to be desperately holding chuckles in.

Vaughan shrugs. "Fae need less sleep than humans." He sighs and adds, "And yes, I am an osprey." He shifts to demonstrate. He has always loved to shift. He thinks, ironic as it is, that only Fenrys ever really understood that. For both of them, shifting meant an escape from Maeve and a chance to just be animals. Vaughan flutters about the room briefly before shifting back and settling in the chair.

Rolfe's eyes widen. "So the stories really are true. Strange."

Vaughan shrugs. He would really rather not sit around and talk about his endeavors with Rolfe. Casting about for a different subject, he asks, "I thought you hate Aelin?"

Rolfe sighs, but seems to accept the segue. He shrugs and settles back in his own chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Aelin and I meant a few years ago. She destroyed my business then, and I have yet to forgive her. I told her if she ever showed her face here again, I would kill her. However, she ended up offering me a business deal I couldn't really refuse. So I fought on her side, but I am by no means her friend. We are… uneasy allies. At best."

“Business deal?” _What could be so important or lucrative he would willingly work with her? And what was the venture that she fucked up?_ Vaughan wonders. In his experience, people don't just change their opinions of people so quickly. And if they do, it's never for the better

“Yes. Business deal. My ships were given privateer status, making us legal and lawful, at least during the war. The Dead Islands were given to me, and both Adarlan and Terrasen recognized my sovereignty over them, as well as agreeing to recognize any heirs I may produce. I am also Lord of Ilium, the ancestral land of my family,” Rolfe explains.

“Shane?” Vaughan asks, and Rolfe freezes.

“Shane is an interesting boy. Why do you ask?” he says, his face carefully neutral.

“He is your heir?”

Rolfe remains tense for a moment before slumping. He sighs. “Yes and no. Aelin and the King of Adarlan, Dorian, are unaware of his existence as of yet. I was unaware of his existence or that he was mine until a few months ago. Eleira didn’t want his life to become too complicated by being the Pirate Lord’s heir.”

“But?” Vaughan prompts, surprised to find himself legitimately curious as to where they story will go. He generally doesn’t care for anyone besides himself. And when he does care, it isn't to find out the thrilling conclusion to the same domestic story he's seen play out thousands of times.

“But then Eleira brought him to me the last time _Madness_ came home. Said he’d manifested my family’s old magic. I assume you experienced it?”

“The ‘Wandering Captain.’”

“Ah, yes. Eleira says that’s the first story he ever told with his magic. One evening someone on the ship asked him if he knew the story of the figurehead, since his mother was the captain, and his magic took over.” Rolfe takes a breath and looks at his hands. “I haven’t officially claimed him for the same reason the Wandering Captain is alone and adrift. My bargain with the Sea God gave me the ability to become the Pirate Lord of Skull’s Bay, but at the cost of my family. I fear if I publicly accept Shane as my son and appear too close, the Sea God will take him as well.”

Vaughan blinks. Shane and the other _Madness_ crewmembers had alluded to Rolfe’s own deal with the god, but not the details. " _Your_ family's magic?"

Rolfe nods. "Yes. Most of the old families on the Islands have some strain of magic. Three hundred years ago, my family fled here from Ilium. The Mycenian branch intermarried with some of the natives on the island. Most of the people on the Islands have some mix of Mycenian and native blood at this point." He shrugs. "One of the more common strains of magic in some of the old native families was storytelling. Eleira's family has a watered down shifter magic." Rolfe snorts. "Literally, actually. All the families on the Islands have some form of water magic. Eleira can shift into water creatures."

"And the Mycenians?" Vaughan asks. Gods, imagine how powerful the kid could be if all three branches of magic come through in him.

"Ah, some water, nothing major." Rolfe rolls his eyes. "And, well, there are rumors of the more major part. But it hasn't been heard of for centuries, and I doubt it actually exists." Vaughan raises his eyebrows, and Rolfe sighs. "It's said the Mycenians' main gift was the ability to talk to the sea dragons. That's why they cared so much, when the dragons died off. Apparently they had some bond or other with the animals, and rumor has it that's why."

Vaughan grunts. _Interesting. So the kid could, theoretically, shift into a sea dragon and talk to them if he wanted._ “What did you want?” he asks. _This is all fascinating, but not what I need to know,_ he thinks.

Rolfe blinks and seems to drag himself back to the present. “There is a merchant fleet sailing from Xandria to Bellhaven. I want their cargo. It has been brought to my attention that you have a strong water magic, so I want you to help. I am sending _Midnight Madness_ , and you will be assigned to the ship. Ask Eleira what the particulars are.”

Vaughan shrugs. He rather liked _Madness_ on the journey here, and he is happy to make it back to her so soon. He genuinely likes Shane and Eleira, and One doesn’t seem so bad, either.

Rolfe seems to take his silence as an affirmative, because he nods. “Good. Ships’ll set sail at dawn tomorrow. Do whatever you want today, just make sure to report to the docks by dusk today. Eleira likes her crew all gathered on her ship the night before they leave.”

Vaughan nods and stands to go, but Rolfe’s voice stops him. 

“One more thing,” the pirate says, looking down at his desk. “Keep an eye on them, will you? I know they are all extremely capable and would hate me for even suggesting otherwise, but I still worry.”

Vaughan nods, a faint smile ghosting across his face. For all his people’s hushed words about him, the Pirate Lord seems like a remarkably decent fellow. This time, when Vaughan turns to leave, Rolfe doesn’t stop him.

\---

Vaughan ends up spending most of the day roaming Skull’s Bay. His meeting with Rolfe had been in the midmorning, and he finds he has the rest of the day to do whatever he wants. After getting lunch from a fisherman down on the docks, Vaughan makes his way over to a sandy stretch of beach that is entirely empty. He needs to digest everything Rolfe had said and prepare to go back on _Madness_. He can't imagine he'll be left alone for this entire voyage, especially since he's now officially crew.

Once near the water, he plops down on the white sand and eats his fried fish. It is delicious and perfect, and he nearly moans with how amazing the experience is. He can’t remember the last time he had fried saltwater fish. The closest thing he could ever get in Doranelle was baked freshwater or river fish, which always tasted like an abomination and perversion.

He avoided eating fish in Doranelle at all costs. Of course, it hadn't taken long for Maeve to find out. Every time they had a fancy dinner with some visiting noble or touring entourage, Maeve ordered the kitchens to prepare fish. Fish stew, baked fish, whole fish and parts of fish. The cook even found some way to make a fish-based dessert. And Maeve made sure he ate everything, just to prove how little say in his life he had.

This though… This fish is heavenly, and he has to stop himself from immediately going back and getting more. He'll definitely have to remember to get food from there again. Unfortunately, the fish is gone all too soon, and Vaughan finds himself taking in his surroundings.

Where he sits, facing the ocean, there is no one in sight. The closest people are hidden behind the curve of the city’s buildings, and the docks are just out of sight as well. He can hear the faintest echoes of city life, people hawking their wares or yelling at each other, but not much more than that.

 _This is what I always missed,_ Vaughan realizes. _All that time in Doranelle, the city was loud and the palace was quiet._

Then, it was the oppressive quiet of people scared to make noise, not this. This is the quiet of solitude, where there are noises, sure, just not the noises of people. Vaughan can hear gulls squawking as they dove for food. He can hear the waves crashing into each other and the shore. He can hear the wind whispering through the trees at his back and along the sand at his feet. He can hear the quiet splishes of a fish school leaping through the water.

Vaughan can hear _everything_ that's happening around him; that's the curse of being Fae. He's learned to filter out the sounds he hears so he doesn't overload his senses. Now, though, he lets himself close his eyes and focus on all of the sounds surrounding him. He lets himself sink into the noises, identifying each and filing it away. When he's done, he focuses on his sense of smell. It's a trick his mother had taught him, almost half a millennia ago. When he's in a new place or needs to relax, he can cycle through each of his senses, focusing only on that one. It's difficult, sometimes, to ignore input from all the other senses, but it's definitely rewarding.

Vaughan cycles through all six -- sound, smell, sight, taste, touch, and magic -- of his senses. When he's done, he feels much more centered. Vaughan starts to walk along the water’s edge, moving farther and farther away from the city. From what he can tell, the city only covers a small portion of the island. The rest of it seems to be beach and jungle. He decides he'll walk as far as he can. If he needs to, he can always shift and fly back, which will save him quite a bit of time.

Before long, Vaughan comes across a strange patch of what seems almost like glass, as if the sand had burned hot enough to melt. Curious, he looks around and sees that the nearest stand of palm trees has seen better days. Most of them are leaning away from the beach, and a few of the closest ones seem to be not much more than splinters. Whatever happened here isn't recent; the trees have started to grow new bark and branches where they've broken. Vaughan estimates whatever happened was no less than a six months and no more than two years ago.

Vaughan continues along the beach, though he can’t help but think about what could have happened to that one patch. _Maybe it got hit by lightning? That would explain the melted sand, right?_ He frowns to himself. _But none of the trees looked blackened or singed, just utterly destroyed. Huh. That’s very strange._ He resolves to ask Shane about it. Maybe the kid will be able to tell him the story of the burned beach.

\---

Vaughan ends up spending most of the afternoon wandering the beach. He makes up theories for what could have happened on the beach, ranging from a sea dragon coming ashore to a lightning strike to a powerful wild magic temper tantrum. He also finds a variety of flotsam and jetsam, including various pieces of driftwood, some old glass worn down by the sea and sand, the occasional rock worn smooth by water and sand, and even some odd trinkets. He keeps one smooth rock that seems a strange greyish blue in some lights and greenish brown in others and a piece of glass that might once have been a clear green but has become cloudy and smooth over time.

He stops when he realizes that the sun has begun to set and shifts, flying quickly to get back to the docks. Vaughan knows, in the back of his mind, that he would have plenty of time to run back to the city, but he can’t help it. Instinctively, he can't help wanting to be in his osprey form while near the sea.

Fortunately, he makes it back to _Madness_ ’ berth with almost a half hour before dusk, and joins the other crewmembers making their way on board. Now that he is an actual part of the crew, not just a passenger, he is directed to the crew cabins and assigned a bunk. He ends up sharing with five other people, who, luckily, seem as disinclined to talk as he is.

When dusk rolls around, One comes by to make sure that everyone is on board the ship and in their respective cabins or bunks. They inform Vaughan and his cabinmates that dinner will be served in half an hour, and that everyone is expected to participate.

Half an hour later, Vaughan and his cabinmates head down to the galley as ordered. They are directed to sit at one of the long tables before Captain Rawl stands up.

“As some of you may know, we are shipping out tomorrow. This voyage should be no more than a month or so each way, though it will depend. We are to intercept a merchant fleet from Xandria en route to Bellhaven.”

“Did the Pirate say why we’re going or what to get?” someone calls, and the captain fixes them with a glare.

“No. Fenharrow is agricultural, so it will probably exchange gems or raw materials for food. We aren’t interested in the food, but the Pirate wants the Xandrian ships’ cargo. Says there should be some form of treasure or other, and we’ll know it when we see it.”

“How come he never sails himself anymore?” someone complains, and Vaughan’s ears prick up. “The Pirate’s getting soft, sending us out to do his dirty work. Used to be he’d lead the fleet, the Sea Dragon the proudest one of us all. Say, is she even sea-worthy anymore?”

There are snickers, at least until Captain Rawl raises her hand. “If you think the Pirate isn’t doing enough, why don’t you go take it up with him? In the meantime, we are setting sail at dawn tomorrow!” There is a good deal of cheering, and Vaughan waits. Surely this isn’t all she’ll tell them? “For now, eat your last meal at home for a good while. I expect everyone to be awake and ready to sail at dawn.” With that, she sits down and the meal begins.

Vaughan uses the chance to get to know his fellow sailors. Most of them are veteran sailors, and have been sailing on _Madness_ for years. Another contingent have sailed for years, but, for whatever reason, this is their maiden voyage on _Madness_. As far as Vaughan can tell, he is the only one who has never sailed in the Pirate Lord’s fleet.

Which isn’t to say he’s _never_ sailed, because he has. When he was a tiny little chick, he sailed with his mother and siblings. They never went very far, but he would be left in charge of the boat while his family fished or checked nets. When he joined Maeve’s service, she did everything she could to keep him from the oceans. When the others were sent to other continents, he was kept home. Vaughan is honestly still surprised she let him cross the ocean to hunt for Lorcan, though he supposes she didn’t have much of a choice. Fenrys would need someone to keep an eye on him, hence why both Gavriel and Fenrys went together. If Fenrys left, Connall stayed. Rowan, of course, had escaped with his queen. That left only Vaughan free to track down Lorcan as well.

“Hey,” someone barks at him, and Vaughan looks up to see one of his cabinmates staring at him. “I asked you a question.”

Vaughan shrugs. “Sorry, didn’t hear.” He freezes. Gods, when was the last time he said _sorry_? What is happening to him? Maeve’s bond must have changed him more than he thought… 

“I asked what your name was,” the man continues. “I haven’t seen you around before, and we have to work together, so I figured knowing your name would be better.”

“Vaughan,” Vaughan offers, still trying to quiet the turmoil in his mind. He really shouldn’t be surprised, he was bonded to Maeve for four and a half centuries, but still.

“Nice to meet you, Vaughan. I’m Ayle. That’s Ara, Nesha, Dosh, and Neher. We’ve all sailed together before.”

“Oh?” Vaughan asks, trying to aim for polite.

Apparently it works, because Ara responds, “Yes. This is Nesha and my first trip in a little while. We took a break for our wedding, and then the war started up, and we decided to hunker down unless they needed us.” She smiles at her wife, who nods.

“We got our orders for this ship, and we were super excited. We mostly sailed on _Wave Runner_ before, but we’ve always wanted to sail on _Madness_. She’s the second largest in the Dead Islands fleet after the _Sea Dragon_.”

"And when the _Dragon_ isn't sailing, _Madness_ leads the fleet," Ara adds excitedly.

“Some people claim Captain Rawl only got this ship because she bedded the Pirate,” murmurs Dosh, leaning in. “But she was captain of _Madness_ long before she ever started up with him.”

“I heard they had a huge falling-out and she ended it. Apparently, he never even knew she was pregnant until she came back with Shane in tow! She moved on, but I think he’s still in love with her,” adds Neher.

"How could he not know? Shane just turned ten last spring! Surely he noticed at some point?" Ayle asks, furrowing his brows.

Dosh shakes their head. "You weren't on _Madness_ then. Captain just never told the Pirate. And as far as I know, he never asked. When _Madness_ was berthed, we'd rotate through who stayed on board. Shane never even set foot in Skull's Bay until the voyage after his magic manifested. Then Captain brought him to meet the Pirate. Apparently, the poor kid's got the Pirate's old family magic."

“No way,” giggles Nesha. “Who’d she move on with, though? We'd know if Captain had someone she was sneaking off to, right?"

Neher raises his eyebrows and looks pointedly up at where Captain Rawl and One are sitting, deep in conversation. "Not if she never had to sneak," he murmurs.

“What?!” Nesha whisper-shrieks. “No way. Captain and One?”

Neher shrugs. “Why not? They work closely together. Shane likes One. And Captain clearly does, too, or they wouldn't be her first mate.” He puts his hands on the table placatingly. “Look, I’m just passing along the rumors, that’s all. But you can't deny it's way easier to hide a relationship with someone when you already spend most of your time with them.”

Ayle looks positively gleeful. “If we’re talking about rumor, I can do one better. I talked to the Pirate's Second, Ilena. Apparently, the Pirate was horrified to learn he had a kid, but now he's cheered up. Something about lines of succession and the Sea God's price." Ayle grins, waggling his eyebrows. "Seems like maybe all isn't well between Captain and the Pirate."

"Oh, come on. You expect us to believe that?" Ara asks. "Ilena doesn't talk to anyone. And when she does, it's only to tell you to pay off your bar tab."

Ayle shrugs. "I've got my ways. People talk to me about all sorts of shit. I know most everyone's secrets by this point," he boasts.

 _Great,_ Vaughan thinks, taking a deep drink of his ale. _Of course my cabinmates are, in fact, talkative. And of course one of them is obsessed with secrets._ He remembers suddenly the way Captain Rawl had wanted to know all his secrets, too. _Gods, I thought pirates went after treasure, not secrets,_ he grumbles to himself.

Despite his misgivings, the rest of the evening passes comfortably enough. Vaughan’s cabinmates tell him about themselves and trade stories about past ships they’ve been on before retiring for the night. They all know they will have a long day ahead of them tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case the timing seems weird, I am guesstimating everything. I know it did not take long for Rowan and co to cross from Eyllwe to Wendlyn, since it took around two months to find Aelin in all. I am chalking the majority of that up to being on wyverns and therefore being able to fly much faster than traveling by ship.
> 
> If there are any exact timelines in the books, please tell me. If a month seems like a lot, it's because they're sailing all the way around to where the Stone Marshes are. Actually, that's a good question. Do the books say how long it takes for Aelin and co to get from Skull's Bay to the Stone Marshes?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. The Xandrian Convoy

The next morning at dawn, _Midnight Madness_ and a half dozen other ships -- _Wave Runner_ , _Tide Weaver_ , _Darkest Abyss_ , _Black Pearl_ , _Pirate's Jubilee_ , and _Flying Fish_ \-- sail out of the Skull’s Bay. Vaughan and his cabinmates are sent belowdecks for their first shift. Their orders are to row until told otherwise, and the six of them set to it. Ayle explains that this isn't all that uncommon, and they'll get more diverse assignments later. For now, they have to row out of the bay and into the open water. According to Ayle, the wind gets funky in the bay because of land and the other ships. Vaughan is happy with the assignment; he is perfectly capable of rowing and is glad he’s been ordered to do something he can handle. He had been half terrified his orders would be to do something complex, like manning one of the lines while the boat tacked. He would rather not screw up his first job as an actual crew member.

 _Although_ , he realizes, _I could probably handle something more complex if someone were to stand next to me and teach me what to do. Gods, when was the last time I actually_ wanted _to be nannied? What in Hellas’ fiery realm is happening to me? Used to be I'd do everything by myself and figure it out along the way. Now I want someone to hold my hand and guide me through the right process?_

Ayle nudges Vaughan, tearing him from his quickly spiraling thoughts. “Hey, you okay there?” Ayle asks, looking concerned.

Vaughan grunts. He neither needs nor wants gods damned mortals bugging him normally. And he certainly doesn't need or want it when he's in a new situation, unsure of his place or abilities, and still reeling a bit from Fenrys' explanation of what all had happened while Vaughan was hiding in the mountains. _Which is another thing_ , he thinks grimly. _I have to remember to avoid those damn mountains at all costs. Gods know that was a miserable experience on all counts_.

Vaughan realizes Ayle is staring at him intently. It would seem the man wants verbal reassurance that Vaughan is, in fact, fine. “Yeah, fine. Why?” he grumbles, working hard to keep the snarl out of his voice. Ayle shrugs, and Vaughan breathes a silent breath of relief. That suggests either the man doesn't care if some accidental snarling happens, or Vaughan has successfully avoided snarling at the man.

“I don’t know. You were frowning to yourself there, and practically snapping the oar in two. Figured I’d check in, make sure everything's all right before something worse happened.” Ayle shrugs, facing forward again.

Vaughan sighs and forces himself to relax. “Thanks,” he finally mutters, feeling embarrassed. His life used to be so clear-cut. He followed Maeve’s orders and allowed himself small rebellions. He didn’t think for himself, he didn’t want things, he just existed. Now, though… Now he can do whatever he wants, and no one can force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.

Ayle nudges him again. “Did you hear me?”

“Huh?” Vaughan glances over at him. _Has he been talking? Have I been ignoring him?_

“I was just asking what you used to do,” Ayle chuckles, although it sounds a bit strained.

Vaughan mutters an apology, and ducks his head, hoping Ayle will just let it go. Lorcan and Rowan used to employ the same behavior all the time -- duck your head, mutter something vague, and go back to work -- as a way to signal they weren't interested in talking. They respected Vaughan's wish for solitude when he did the same. Gavriel would sit quietly and read over a report or something until Vaughan either told him what was happening or decided to leave. It wasn't what Vaughan would prefer, but at least the Lion knew how to be quiet. Fenrys always pushed constantly, desperate to hear someone else’s voice and know he wasn't alone in the torture that was being a member of Maeve's blood-sworn. Most people, after meeting Fenrys, thought he was arrogant and just loved to hear himself talk. In actuality, Fenrys has always been a bit insecure, probably because of what Maeve forced him to do.

Unfortunately for Vaughan, it would seem Ayle, like Fenrys, prefers to connect verbally. It isn't long before the man says, “Well, I’ve always been on the Dead Islands. My family’s from one of the tribes on another island -- Wiwerna, if you know their names -- but I went off to the city. Wanted a different life than setting out nets every day and farming half-aquatic sheep and goats.” He glances at Vaughan and adds, rather self-deprecatingly, “That was a joke. You can laugh.”

Vaughan manages a weak chuckle, and Ayle continues.

“I moved to Skull’s Bay ten years ago and joined up with the first ship I could. Her name was _Beach Walker_ , and she was in the worst shape I’ve ever seen of a ship. She was only barely sea-worthy!” He chuckles fondly at the memory, shaking his head a little, before he adds, “She's still only barely sea-worthy. Her captain's got nothing on Captain, and I don't think he knows how to take care of a boat at all. We've been laying bets on how long it'll be until the Pirate decides to retire her. Anyway, after _Walker_ I did a couple trips on _Wave Runner_. I met Ara and Nesha on _Runner_ , then Neher when I did a brief stint on _Midday Storm's_ crew. Dosh has been on _Madness_ for ages, so we all met them when we joined _Madness_ ' crew.” He points over at their cabinmates as he talks, in case Vaughan has already forgotten them. Ayle lets out a contented sigh as he looks around. “ _Madness_ really is a gorgeous ship, and Captain’s one of the best captains in the fleet. You’re lucky you get to be here.”

He looks over at Vaughan expectantly, and Vaughan decides to give him something. Maybe, like Fenrys, he’ll shut up once he decides Vaughan has come out of his shell and interacted enough. It seems like a stretch, but it’s a chance Vaughan will gladly take.

Picking his words carefully, he says, “I was born almost five hundred years ago on the northwestern coast of Selleria. I was sent into Queen Maeve’s service when I was twenty and took the blood oath a few years later. I served her for four hundred and fifty years and then was freed when she died. Now I’m here.”

Ayle blinks at him. “How old are you?” he finally asks, his voice rising to a squeak.

Vaughan sighs. Mortals can never seem to quite grasp the concept of being more than a handful of decades or a century old at the absolute most. _I wonder how they manage to get anything done?_ he asks himself. _Their lifespans are so short… How do they have enough time to do anything?_

Vaughan realizes Ayle probably wants an answer. The question is fine unanswered, since Vaughan already gave the man ages and time spans. Still, he responds, “I am somewhere between four hundred seventy-five and five hundred years old.”

Ayle blinks and swallows. “I see,” he says faintly. He turns back to his rowing and Vaughan allows himself to relax slightly. Perhaps that will be the end of it.

\---

Of course, it isn’t the end of it, not by a long shot. Vaughan and his cabinmates are ordered to continue rowing until the wind is up or their shift is over. The wind doesn’t come up until much later in the day, once they're out past the Islands and into the ocean proper, but Vaughan is happy to have something to do. He likes the physical labor, and it gives him plenty of time to stew in his thoughts and try to process the rather surprising turn his life has taken.

Although that might not be the best idea he’s ever had, since it isn't long before Vaughan finds himself meditating as he rows, completely unaware of the outside world. It's a bit like when he draws up his magic, except he's buried in his thoughts and memories rather than the well of magic at his core. He almost misses his shift change, and is only alerted to the impending changeover when, all of a sudden, a short, brunette woman is standing in front of him.

“I relieve you,” she says, and seems to be waiting for a response. Confused, Vaughan gets up, and she gives a disappointed sigh before taking his spot on the bench. Ayle comes up behind him.

“Come on,” the other man says, leading Vaughan up to their cabin. “We can sleep now, or get some food. There’ll probably be a card game going on somewhere, and you can join if you want. We’ll have another shift in, oh, eight hours or so. Normally we'd break for a meal after one eight-hour shift, have another, and then be off, but the beginning of the voyage is always a bit tricksy,” he explains. "Usually, one shift rows while the other works in the galley, or abovedecks with the rigging and sails, or cleans the cabins, or some similar job. Right now, we don't really need to do any of that, since the wind isn't really up yet, the galley is still being unpacked and prepped for meals, and there hasn't been much time to mess up the rooms."

Vaughan blinks. He’s still trying to wake up from whatever strange daze he managed to put himself in while rowing, and is also trying to figure out what was up with the woman. He can't really process all the information Ayle is giving him, although he's pretty sure it's fairly important. Bot he's most curious about the brunette. “That woman. She said ‘I relieve you’?” Vaughan trails off, hoping Ayle will understand what he’s asking.

Fortunately, Ayle smirks. “Oh, yeah. That’s Holly. She’s like that. It amuses her, when she’s relieving someone of their shift, to say ‘I relieve you.’ In a perfect world, they’d then say ‘I am relieved,’ which she thinks is hilarious.” He cocks his head at Vaughan. “Let me guess. You just got out of her way and she seemed disappointed?”

“Yeah.”

Ayle nods. “Eh, don’t worry about it. She’s the only one who ever does it. If you ever do respond properly, it’ll make her really happy. I will say, though, if you have to relieve her, do the whole exchange. She’s usually grouchy at the end of her shift, and it’ll cheer her up.”

Vaughan nods, filing the information away. He is quite familiar with the strange quirks and idiosyncrasies people will develop to make life bearable. He has spent almost five hundred years meeting and interacting with people from all walks of life, who all have their own quirks and preferences.

As Vaughan manages to lose himself, once again, in his thoughts, Ayle claps him on the shoulder. “Let’s go crash in the cabin for now, okay? You look like you need it.”

Vaughan shakes his head. “I’ll be fine for a couple days.”

Ayle sighs. “Look, you might be Fae and all, but you need to process this world you’re in, okay? I don’t know a whole lot about you, but it seems clear you are not used to interacting with humans. Is that right?”

He looks up at Vaughan, who nods slightly. It might pain him to admit any sort of failing or unfamiliarity, but Ayle's right. This whole world of water, wind, and humans is throwing him off.

“Yeah. So you need some time. The best thing you can do is try to sleep it off. Even if you just pretend, you’ll get left alone, and you can figure out what you need to do. Okay?”

Vaughan nods again. Ayle has a point, but Vaughan can’t help but hate the way the other man is treating him. It feels as though Ayle thinks Vaughan is some kind of child, unaware of how to interact with the world around him. He's over four centuries older than the man! If anyone should get to use a condescending tone, it is definitely Vaughan. The problem, of course, is that Ayle's right. Vaughan _doesn’t_ know how to interact in this world run by humans, where people do what they want when they want. That realization only helps to send him spiraling further into confusion and self-hatred. Gods, he feels so helpless.

Soon enough, Vaughan and Ayle are back at their cabin. Vaughan curls up on his bunk and tries to fall asleep.

\---

The trip out is pretty much the same thing every day. Vaughan manages to settle into a basic routine. Wake up, eat a meal, row for eight hours, eat another meal, do odd jobs around the deck and/or row for another eight hours, eat a third meal, sleep for eight hours, repeat. Apparently, he and Holly are set up to rotate shifts. When his first shift is done, she starts up. When her second shift is done, if she's rowing, he starts. After the first time, Vaughan is always careful to participate in her little exchange back and forth. It seems to amuse her, and she always smiles at him.

It’s nice, he supposes. It’s almost like making a friend.

A little under a month after leaving Skull’s Bay, while _Madness_ and the other pirate ships are off the coast of the Stone Marshes, they intercept what Vaughan assumes is the Xandrian convoy. There are a half dozen merchant ships riding low in the water, and his cabinmates explain that it is generally an indicator they’re carrying cargo.

"The ships loaded with more cargo are heavier, so they ride lower in the water. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if they're actually riding low because of cargo or because they're built that way, though," Neher explains.

"Yeah. When you get more familiar with the various ship types popular with different lands, you can spot the differences," Dosh adds, leaning against the railing. "Xandrian ships are often built to sit higher in the water and carry a more impressive silhouette. They're generally long and fairly narrow."

"It's easier to tell when they're _not_ carrying cargo," Nesha adds from the floor. She appears to be sharpening a set of small knives that she hides in her boots and under her billowy shirt. "When they're empty, they tend to float more, and sometimes you can even see a water line. That tells you it's sitting higher in the water than it has recently, so it's probably returning to port empty, not going to port full." 

"This is how we pick our targets," Ara adds. "The ships that ride the lowest are generally carrying the most cargo, especially in a fleet like that one, where all the ships are the same design and model." She gestures to the Xandrian ships. "They all have the same general shape, the same order of portholes, probably the same draft. We attack the ones that sit lower. They have more cargo; they can afford us skimming some from the top."

Ayle gestures at the pirate fleet. "A lot of merchant fleets will have ships about the same sizes and specifications. Most naval fleets will have a variety of different type of ships, for different purposes, but they'll all be more or less by the same shipmaker and have more or less the same design throughout. We don't do that. Partially that's because we don't build our own boats, we just commandeer others'. But also so that people can't tell which ships have more cargo."

Dosh nods and points at _Black Pearl_. "See how _Pearl_ sits lower in the water? She doesn't have any cargo, that's just how she's made. Whereas _Jubilee_ , over there, she sits high in the water." They shrug. "Just something to keep in mind."

 _It would seem the Dead Islands pirates pride themselves on being nice pirates_ , Vaughan thinks, watching as his cabinmates prepare for the coming clash. _They only want to take from the ships that can afford it and don't go after the ones that can't._

The idea is, to be honest, a little startling for Vaughan. Maeve never cared about anyone else, and had always ordered her blood-sworn to be as ruthless as needed and avoid thinking about anyone or anything other than the job at hand. It is yet another startling difference between his old life and what he already thinks of as his new one.

Soon enough, _Madness_ and the rest of the fleet are close enough to hail the Xandrian ships. When One comes around with orders, Vaughan is ordered to stay on the ship and control the currents. When he points out that he could probably do more use in the raiding party, he is leveled with a glare that would put even Lorcan to shame.

“No,” One says. “You are the only one on board who has water magic. You will be of far more use here, on this ship, keeping everything going our way.” The first mate heads off to hand out orders to the next gaggle of crew members.

Vaughan nods mutely and takes up a position in the bow, where he can see everything. Diving down, he starts to build up his power. It has been so long since he has done this, and he really isn’t prepared for any kind of large-scale magic use. He probably should have started diving down a day or two ago, but he still isn't used to people actually wanting or needing his magic.

As he starts to draw up his power, he can’t help but think of the last time he did this, almost two centuries ago.

\---

_Rowan, Lorcan, and Vaughan are called into the throne room on a blisteringly cold winter morning. This in itself is a little unusual. Rowan and Lorcan are Maeve's two strongest blood-sworn; she very rarely sends them out unless for very large-scale missions, like leveling all of Sollemere._

_"Ah, so nice to see you all here," Maeve says, smiling brightly. Vaughan instantly tenses. Maeve is never nice unless she's being particularly evil, and Vaughan would rather be anywhere but in front of her if it's one of_ those _days. "There is a country east of here, Remare. They've been slacking on their tribute lately, so I sent their queen a friendly missive. She responded that they've been having problems with their harbors lately."_

_"My queen," Lorcan starts, still staring resolutely at the floor. Maeve, of course, had ordered them to kneel as soon as they stepped foot in the throne room. Vaughan's been blood-sworn to her for nearly two and a half centuries, and he can't remember a single time she didn't use the oath to force obedience and respect. "What would you have us do?" Lorcan asks._

_"I've been getting reports that that part of the world does not feel my presence as strongly as other parts. I want you three to go to the Remarean harbors and find out what is going on. Feel free to be a bit showy, I want them to worship me once more." Maeve pauses, and Vaughan can hear her tapping her fingers lightly against the arm of her throne. "I want them to bow before my throne once more. I must bring them back into the fold."_

_Vaughan, Rowan, and Lorcan murmur their acceptances and understandings before being released. They pack their bags, what little they'll need, and set off. It isn't terribly long before they're in the Remarean capital, a bustling city named Linnile. It is built around a gorgeous, semi-circular harbor with sparkling, deep blue waters and countless ships._

_Vaughan sucks in an involuntary breath at the sight. It's the first time he's been allowed near the ocean in almost a century. For all that he hates Maeve and would gladly sever her head from her body, he has to respect her cunning. The female knows how to put leashes on everyone around her. Rowan's is forged from his grief over his dead mate. Lorcan's is forged from his adoration and obsession with their queen. Gavriel's is forged from his sense of honor and duty. And Vaughan's is forged from his magic and the sea._

_It had turns out to be a trap, of course, and Vaughan can't help but wonder whether Maeve knew. The blockage is nothing more than a massive chain of boulders wedged along the seafloor at the mouth of the harbor in Linnile. They drastically reduce the depth of the harbor opening and boats with bigger drafts can't get in without the risk of running aground. Vaughan isn't sure why they would purposefully block off their harbor, but he assumes in some attempt to lure Maeve's blood-sworn away, and possibly attempt take them out._

_Vaughan uses his magic to undo the boulder wall. He uses whips of water to sink and smash the boats docked at harbor and whips the boulders into the mountains, where they might cause more damage. He feels a little guilty; he hadn’t meant to get so carried away. As they're making their way back to the Doranelle, they come across the spot where one of the boulders landed. Squashed under and around it is the remains of a camp of soldiers wearing the Remarean colors. One of them, the one with the most medals and who Vaughan assumes was in charge, has a letter from the Remarean queen. It details Vaughan's and his brothers' descriptions, the questions they'll ask, and how the soldiers should handle their arrival._

_When they get back to the City of Rivers Rowan hands over the letter from the Remarean queen, but Maeve only glances at it. "Next time, have more control," she hisses at Vaughan. "I think your punishment will be two-pronged. Physical for now and emotional for later." She smiles slightly. "I'll leave the physical punishment up to Rowan and Lorcan. I think it's only fitting that, if you can't control yourself, your emotions, or your magic when you're by the sea, we'll simply keep you from the sea." She shrugs lightly and flicks her fingers. "You are forbidden from going near the sea unless I specifically tell you otherwise. This command will remain in place until I undo it."_

_Vaughan collapses at the feel of the blood oath tightening in his chest. And worse yet, because she's a horrible bitch, he has no doubt he'll be in pain if he even considers going near the sea. Gods, he wishes he had never been forced into the blood oath, never been forced to leave the beautiful salt water waves and travel to this thrice-damned city of freshwater and evil. But he had no choice then, just as he has no choice now._

\---

In the here and now, Vaughan drags his power up and up. In his mind's eye, it feels as though his osprey flies towards the sun, clutching streamers of glittering water that trail behind him. He shifts and soars through the sea breezes, keeping an eye on the various ships and a feel on the currents. When he spots one of the Xandrian ships turning away, he pulls with his magic. Suddenly the ship finds itself dead in the water, the current and the wind herding it back towards the convoy. He lets breezes play along the waves, gentle figures stroking the waves into fanciful shapes.

Vaughan spends the rest of the day engaged in such herding maneuvers. Whenever a Xandrian ship tries to escape, he tugs it back into the group. Before long, most of the ships realize they won't be getting away and set to fight instead. Vaughan amuses himself playing with his wind and water. If a particular battle looks too even or as though the pirates might be losing, he interferes, choking the Xandrians with a bit of water or cutting off some of their air supply. Neither he nor the pirates have any interest in killing anyone. From what Vaughan understands, the Xandrians will mostly be left alone after the pirates are done.

Eventually, his crewmates return to _Madness_. He shifts back and lands on the deck.

“Captain and One took a prisoner,” Ayle informs him excitedly. “Head of the convoy, started squealing something about Melisande having their back.”

“Melisande?” Vaughan asks. “Not Fenharrow?”

“Right? That’s what we thought. They’re going to Fenharrow, but Melisande’s apparently backing them.” Ayle shrugs. “If it’s serious, the Pirate and Captain will send us somewhere. Until then, we’re sailing back to Skull’s Bay with a full cargo of loot!”

Everyone in earshot cheers, and Vaughan finds himself being pulled along into the galley with the rest of the crew. Someone starts passing out food and drinks, and Vaughan settles down to eat with his cabinmates.

“When we get back to harbor, remind us to show you around. It may not be much, but Skull’s Bay is our home-on-land,” Dosh says.

Vaughan dips his head silently in thanks.

Dosh smiles. “Most of it is taverns, anyway,” they add. “It isn’t exactly the most exciting place in existence.”

“But it doesn’t have to be,” Neher butts in. “A sailor’s home is their ship; their family is their crew. Who needs a fancy city when you’ve got a fleet?”

That seems to be the signal for another round of drinks, and every pirate in earshot lifts their drink. "Aye, aye!" one of them screams. The pirates in charge of the galley for the day run about refilling tankards and cups and passing out food to every pirate in reach.

 _What if they aren’t lying?_ Vaughan asks himself, watching as his crewmates chatter and laugh and fall over against each other. _What if my home really can be on the sea? If my home can be_ Madness? _Such a shift from under Maeve. But one I could get used to,_ he adds silently, lifting his own tankard during the next cheer.


	5. Prepping for Deception

It takes another month to get back to Skull’s Bay. Ayle tells him the journey would have taken longer had Vaughan not been there. Vaughan doesn't pretend to know what all Ayle is talking about. He does gather that the currents generally flow south, from Terrasen to the Southern Continent. It's easier for the pirates to sail south than it is for them to sail north. Ayle also mentions something about how the wind is generally less strong this time of year. Usually, the pirates would counteract that by rowing. It's exhausting and time-consuming, but they can at least move. With Vaughan's magic, they are able to create a magical wind instead, and avoid too much rowing.

When they get back to Skull’s Bay, Captain, One, and Vaughan are asked to meet the Pirate. Ayle is wide-eyed when he tells Vaughan. “No one ever gets to see the Pirate!” he hisses. “Who are you, anyway?”

“Fae.” Vaughan narrows his eyes and sighs. _Might as well just lean into it._ “Ambassador to Terrasen.”

Ayle’s eyes widen even further, which shouldn’t even be possible. “And you’re slumming it with us?” he asks incredulously.

Vaughan shrugs. “ _Madness_ is the best.”

“Well, yeah, especially with the Pirate rarely setting sail. Poor _Dragon_ , she's probably dried out and lonely." He shakes his head and refocuses. "But you’re an _ambassador_. You shouldn’t have to be on the sea at all.”

Vaughan stiffens. He straightens slowly and lets himself tower over the shorter man. “I like the sea,” he growls before heading to the _Sea Dragon_ tavern. _Seems like not the best administrative decision to name your tavern and your ship the same thing_ , he thinks. _How do you differentiate whether you mean the land-bound one or the sea-bound one?_

“Well, excuse me,” he hears Ayle mutter from behind him. The man continues grumbling something about foreign nobles being presumptuous, and Vaughan has to stifle a laugh. It is beyond amusing to think that he's a _noble_ , much less trying to pull his rank and get a position as a sailor. Plus, from what he knows of Ayle, Vaughan would have expected the man would disapprove of random nobles being pampered on land. _After all, everyone works for their keep in the Islands,_ he thinks wryly.

When Vaughan gets to the tavern, he is directed up to the Pirate Lord’s office. He knocks and enters. Eleira and One are sitting in two of the three armchairs across from Rolfe’s desk. The blonde woman with the sea dragon tattoos who usually works the bar leans against the wall behind Rolfe's desk. Rolfe waves a lazy hand at the unoccupied chair, and Vaughan settles down into it.

“So the Xandrian convoy has ties to Melisande,” Rolfe muses after a moment, steepling his fingers.

Eleira and One nod. “That’s what the weasel commanding it claimed,” Eliera says.

“I suppose it makes sense logistically. Both were occupied by the Adarlanians, and the Gulf of Oro is the only thing separating them. Plus, have we heard anything about where the Queen of Melisande fled in her exile?”

“ _Everything_ was occupied by Adarlan,” One mutters. "But no. After Briarcliff took over Melisande, none of our spies have seen or heard anything about the queen. It's as if she feel off the face of the earth."

Rolfe waves a hand. “We know Melisande surrendered to Erawan. Did anyone spare a glance to Xandria? From what I've seen and heard, the Xandrians were, if not allied with Adarlan, not against the occupation. And the lord hates the Silent Assassins. If they allied with Aelin, would that be enough to push him over the edge?”

Vaughan finds himself, inexplicably, the subject of four stares. Eleira, Rolfe, and One look curious, while the blonde woman looks bored. “I have been in a forest at the base of the Anascaul Mountains for the last few months. I have no knowledge of schemes more recent than five or ten years ago." _And I wouldn't want to know, even if I wasn't out of touch. I hate courtly intrigue and politics._

Eleira raises her eyebrows. “Aren’t you supposed to be the ambassador?”

“Hell if I know,” Vaughan snaps back.

Rolfe raises his hands. “Fine. Whatever. I suspect no one knew. Xandria was left ignored. It is a tiny city-state rather far from Terrasen and the rest of the continent. It’s not so strange to suppose the Xandria and Melisande are allied now. Xandria may want recognition and power. Melisande will want her throne and power back.”

“So what do we do?” One asks.

Rolfe scrubs his face with his hands. “Before Aelin’s involvement, I would have advocated nothing. We are _pirates_. Beyond picking which ships to attack, we don't get involved. Now, though? Now we are allied with Terrasen and Adarlan. If Melisande and Xandria are allied against them they are allied against us as well.”

“So what do we do?” One repeats, sounding a bit frustrated.

Rolfe sighs. “ _Maddy_ , _Runner_ , _Weaver_ , _Abyss_ , and _Pearl_ will sail to the Gulf of Oro. Fly Dead Islands colors, not pirate ones. We’ll send an envoy to the Lord of Xandria and the Queen of Melisande, say we want to negotiate.”

"We only have Islands colors because Adarlan and Terrasen formally recognize us as a sovereign land," Eleira points out, leaning forward and bracing her elbows on her knees. "Won't that drive them off? They don't recognize us as sovereign. At least not officially."

"Yes. But, for precisely that reason, it will work. We will appear as turncoats. We fly the Islands colors to demonstrate that Adarlan and Terrasen, to the best of their knowledge, think we are still allied with them. Then we convince Xandria and Melisande that we are no longer allied against them. We say some load of shit about why we want to turn against Aelin, and weasel our way into their confidences." Rolfe shrugs. "It's a month and a few weeks. I'm sure we can come up with something to say."

“We? Are you coming with us?” One asks.

“Yes. _Dragon_ will sail with _Maddy_.”

“That only leaves, what, _Walker_ , _Fish_ , _Jubilee_ , _Storm_ , and _Quest_?” Eleira asks, ticking the names off on her fingers. “Are you sure? The Islands will be left wide open for the taking."

“It’s a show of strength as bait. I’m as sure as I’ll be,” Rolfe responds. “We’ll lure the lord and the queen aboard with offers of alliance. Convince them we need to cut all ties with Terrasen and Adarlan as fast as possible. Then we find out what more they're planning.”

Eleira raises her eyebrows skeptically. “If you say so, Rolfe.”

“And me?” Vaughan asks. He has yet to see where he fits in this plan. 

“Fly to Orynth. Tell Aelin what we know and then meet us here. You’ll sail with Ilena and me on _Dragon_.” Rolfe shrugs. “Before that, though, how good are you at getting information out of people?”

Vaughan raises his eyebrows. “I was one of Maeve’s blood-sworn.”

“So very good.” Rolfe smiles slowly. “Good. Eleira, One, gather the other captains. Tell them to meet here in two days. We’ll discuss our plans further then. For tonight, everyone who sailed in today has a paid tab across the city.”

Eleira grins. “Your wish is my command, Rolfe.”

Eleira and One leave. Vaughan finds himself staring at the Pirate Lord and the blonde woman, who finally stands up straight. She drops into Eleira's now vacant chair.

"I'm Ilena," she announces, holding her hand out to shake. "I'm Rolfe's Second."

Vaughan shakes the offered hand. "Vaughan. Ambassador to Terrasen. And former blood-sworn of Maeve."

"I know," Ilena replies, waving a hand. "The Pirate Lord's Second is responsible for a lot of the day to day aspects of the Islands. That includes the people." She grins, baring her teeth. "Think of the Islands as a giant ship. The Pirate is the Islands' captain. Their Second is the Islands' first mate. Each of the ship's captains are lower-level supervisors."

"You're responsible for the people." The analogy actually does make a good deal of sense. Ilena does what a ship's first mate would do, just for every pirate in the Dead Islands. "And you're his spymaster."

Ilena just shrugs, smirking slightly.

"Ilena, check to make sure the pirates are drinking this evening. And see if you can get an inventory started for the loot they collected," Rolfe says. He scribbles something down on his paper before adding, "Have the convoy commander brought to the Brig. We'll see what we can get out of him in the next few days."

Ilena nods silently and leaves. Rolfe waits a few moments, writing something else down, before looking up at Vaughan. “So. You announced yourself as the Ambassador from Terrasen,” he says, tilting his head. He seems to read Vaughan’s surprise because he adds, “I’m a highly paranoid, slightly neurotic Pirate Lord. If I let my guard down for even a second I run the risk of deposition or assassination. I keep track of _everything_ that happens on my islands.” He looks pained and mutters, “Even if sometimes I wish I didn't.”

Vaughan shrugs. “Yes,” he admits. “So?”

“You told me you weren’t.”

“It will be me or someone else,” Vaughan points out. “I have no loyalty to Terrasen other than to my brothers serving there.”

Rolfe nods. “Fine. Then you definitely need to come with us. But I don’t think I’ll introduce you as Terrasen’s Ambassador.” He looks at the wall for a minute and then deflates. “You want a drink?”

“Sure.”

Rolfe hands Vaughan a drink before collapsing into his chair. “Gods, I’m tired of this,” he mutters. “All this running about, proving I’m strong enough to stay the Pirate.” He swallows a sip or two and adds, “Don’t get me wrong, I love being in charge and all that, but I fear I am close to the edge of the pedestal. I worry one strong gust or one wrong step and I'll come tumbling down.”

Vaughan grunts softly and swallows some of his own drink. It isn’t nearly enough to actually get him drunk, but it tastes nice and he’s never been one to pass up a good drink. "Who would be Pirate Lord next if you do fail?" he asks quietly.

"Hmm? Oh, probably Eleira. She's the captain of _Madness_ , and already basically leads the fleet. The other captains listen to and respect her. If she wants to be Pirate Lord, I have no doubt she could easily do so." Rolfe knocks back the rest of his drink before adding, "It's why I don't sail as much. I don't think she would lead a mutiny, but you can never be sure. And even if _she_ doesn't, who's to say the other captains or even the pirates themselves wouldn't? I know what they grumble about me."

"Not Ilena?" Vaughan asks, settling more comfortably in his chair.

"No. Ilena is a first mate, not a captain. I doubt she even wants to be that visible, she usually prefers to be unobtrusive and unnoticed. It's why she tends the bar. Everyone talks to or around the bartender, but no one actually notices them. Certainly not when they're silent and don't seek out attention."

Vaughan hums softly in reply. It makes sense, and they're qualities that make her a good spymaster, too.

Rolfe refills their drinks before returning to his previous train of thought. "It seems like this war will never end!" he complains, taking a sip. He stares out the single window in the room. "It’s not like I _enjoyed_ Adarlan ruling everything. It was terrible for trade. But at least then there weren’t pacts to overthrow Aelin. At least then I didn’t have to get tricked into siding with her.” He scowls into his drink and sips some more.

“How did she trick you?” Vaughan asks. He isn’t exactly curious, but everyone seems to be dancing around the issue of Rolfe and Aelin. They seem to hate each other, and yet they're in a remarkably strong alliance.

“Well, the first time was when she was still Adarlan’s Assassin.” Vaughan is unfamiliar with the title, but Rolfe goes on before he can muster up the energy or interest to ask. “She got sent here to negotiate a slaving deal on behalf of her master--”

“Aelin dealt in _slaves_?” Vaughan is aghast. He would have thought Rowan had more taste than in a slaver!

“No. She didn’t know that was what she had been sent here for. And when she did find out, she and her partner set free two hundred of the slaves in the harbor. And then when I caught up to her, she made me swear to never trade in slaves again, as well as offer a safe harbor to any escaped or escaping slaves.” He snorts, shaking his head ruefully.

“ _You_ dealt in slaves?” Vaughan growls. “Gods, and I thought this would be my safe haven.” He shakes his head and stands, turning to the door. _Gods, I can't believe this!_ he thinks angrily. _I don't know whether to be more mad at myself, for thinking anywhere could be a perfect safe haven, or at him, for trading slaves. And I was even starting to trust him!_

“Wait! It was like that, yes, but it is a stain on my soul and my conscience I will carry forever,” Rolfe calls.

Vaughan pauses at the door. “And you think that makes it _better_? You should’ve thought of that _before_ you started trading slaves,” he snarls. He stalks out the door and into the main bar. Ilena raises her eyebrows at him, but he shakes his head. All of them are complicit in this.

Grumbling to himself, he shifts and flies over to the beach he spent time on his first day in Skull’s Bay. He has to decide what to do. Vaughan does feel at home here, more than he ever has elsewhere. The other blood-sworn had accepted him, sure, but they’d never really tried to get close to him. Even after centuries of an on-again-off-again relationship with Lorcan, he still doesn’t know much about the male’s past. And he can guarantee none of them know anything about his past.

But can he really stay here? Rolfe was a _slave-trader_. How can he willingly work for someone like that?

Vaughan decides he’ll fly to Terrasen and talk to Aelin. He should probably tell her about Melisande and Xandria, anyway. Plus, she was a slave. If anyone can rationalize working with Rolfe, it’s probably her, right?

So Vaughan sets off. He flies to Orynth and marches into the castle. And there he runs into a problem. It’s a big castle, one that he is unfamiliar with, and he doesn’t know the queen’s scent well enough to track her. Lorcan’s scent is woven throughout the castle, but faded, and Vaughan assumes he’s gone off to live with his mortal woman.

Rowan’s scent is literally everywhere in the damn country, so that isn’t much help, either. The one scent Vaughan can pick out is Fenrys’. Much as he would prefer almost anyone else, the young pup will probably know where the queen is. Sighing, Vaughan follows after the wolf’s wet fur and cold scent. It's not a pleasant scent, but it's certainly distinctive. Cpnnall and Fenrys had always had a similar scent -- both with notes of wet fur and cold -- but Fenrys' had a constant note of anger and grief. Now, his scent is almost drenched in grief and heartbreak. Vaughan hopes Rowan, Lorcan, and Aelin are doing something to help him. The pup shouldn't have to carry his grief alone.

Eventually, Fenrys' scent leads him, unsurprisingly, to Fenrys. The golden-haired male is in a meeting room with Rowan and the queen.

“Vaughan?” Fenrys asks. “I thought you were in Pirate Land! What are you doing here?”

“Melisande and Xandria have formed an alliance against Terrasen and your allies,” Vaughan says. “And I need to talk to you, Majesty. Preferably alone.” He certainly isn't going to spill his mind in front of Rowan and Fenrys if he can help it.

“Never one for niceties, I see,” Fenrys grumbles. Obediently, though, he turns to leave. Whitethorn stays put until Aelin murmurs something to him, and he reluctantly leaves as well.

“So Melisande’s queen got tired of being deposed, huh?” Aelin muses. “I’m not surprised. Is Rolfe planning to do anything?”

“Sail to the Gulf of Oro, negotiate, take them out,” Vaughan replies. “How are you willing to work with him?”

Aelin pauses. “What do you mean? And I don’t work _with_ him; he works _for_ me.”

“He traded slaves. You were a slave. How can you stomach that?”

Aelin sighs. “Probably because I forced him to stop before I became a slave. And don’t get me wrong, I already hated slavery, but it’s different, you know? And, I don’t know, I suppose I do believe he’s repentant. I think he turned to slavery as his last option to keep his pirates fed.” She sighs. “The world is very grey.”

Vaughan grunts. “So you just… forgave him?”

Aelin cackles. “You were friends with Lorcan right? He and I have a similar ability to forgive or forget.”

“I wouldn’t call us _friends_ ,” Vaughan mutters. “Fae have never been good at forgiving or forgetting.”

Aelin smirks. “I like you. But for Rolfe, I don’t know. He never did trade slaves after I freed the two ships’ worth. He told you about that, I’m guessing?” Vaughan nods, and she continues, “Well, he never traded slaves again. He helped me in the war, lost plenty of his own people, and seemed to be a good captain.”

“You worked with him out of necessity?”

Aelin sighs and sits down. “Yes. I needed all the allies I could get. I allied with the woman who betrayed me and tried to kill me, the cousin I’d never met, the prince who’d done unspeakable things while possessed by a demon, and the Pirate Lord who traded slaves.” She shrugs. “It was wartime, and debts were forgiven. I’m not trying to justify his actions, but I don’t think he did it out of malice or greed. I honestly do think he did it out of desperation. When I went, Skull's Bay was only barely hanging onto vibrant life. Everything was run down, everyone's clothing was in bad shape, and there were only a handful of taverns operating."

"He didn't make much of a profit, then." Vaughan sighs. “I’ll ask him,” he decides.

Aelin nods. “Letting him explain himself may be the best option. And see how he handles negotiating with Melisande and Xandria. That may tell you more about the kind of person he is now than anything else.”

“And I’ll talk to Captain and Ilena,” he continues. They know Rolfe best, after all.

Aelin shrugs. “If you do decide to stay there, talk to Fenrys. I’ve put him as the head of Terrasen's ambassadors. If you do wish to stay in Skull’s Bay, perhaps you can do so as ambassador?”

Vaughan nods. That is part of why he came up to Terrasen in the first place.

\---

After hashing out details with Fenrys, Vaughan flies back to Skull’s Bay. He doesn’t want to talk to Rolfe immediately, but he does want to talk to Captain and Ilena. He finds Ilena first, scrubbing dishes in the barroom of the Sea Dragon. After offering to help scrub, he manages to coax details from her about Rolfe’s involvement in the slave trade.

According to her, he had only started because piracy was becoming more dangerous and less lucrative. Adarlan had taken it upon itself to dissuade piracy, and Adarlanian ships had begun to patrol the waters long the coast of Erilea. Any pirate ships that went out risked getting sunk. Those that survived often had smaller catches.

The Dead Islands relied on piracy to survive. They didn’t exactly have an honest trade to fall back on, especially with no natural resources other than fish and water -- things in plenty of abundance on the continent. The pirates had no money to get food, or, worse, to fix up the boats.

Finally, six months before Aelin put a stop to it all, an Adarlanian slaver had approached Rolfe. Apparently, he had been looking for a good waystation to collect slaves and ship them off to various ports and destinations. He had offered to pay for the chance to use Skull’s Bay, and Rolfe hadn’t felt he could pass up such an offer. Plus, the slaver had claimed he was friends with the harbormaster. Rolfe worried refusing would make an enemy with the harbormaster, who could choke off what little trade and piracy the Islands' were able to handle. Becoming a slaver would keep his pirates safe, it would keep them fed, and all Rolfe had to do was sell his soul to Hellas himself.

When Rolfe and Ilena finish with the dishes, she gives him a long look. “I’ve known Rolfe a long time. He isn’t an evil person, but he is willing to take whatever morally questionable deals he can if it helps him or those he cares about.”

“Like his deal with the Sea God?” Vaughan asks.

She nods. “That was for him to get ahead. He’s regretted it ever since. When he gets drunk enough he’ll stumble to the beach and beg the Sea God to reverse it, beg Her to give him back his family.” She sighs heavily. “Obviously the Sea God has not deigned to do so.”

Vaughan thanks Ilena for the information and heads off to find Eleira. She tells him a similar tale, painting it in colors of desperation and a glimmer of hope, staging Rolfe’s decision in a tableau of hopelessness, loss, and terror.

Vaughan reluctantly decides that he will give Rolfe a chance. By all accounts, the man hadn’t wanted to turn to slavery. While Vaughan still isn’t sure he can forgive him, perhaps he can allow Rolfe the chance to prove he’s become a better person.

Vaughan flies back to Rolfe’s office. He sweeps in the door and announces, “I’ll sail with you to the Gulf.” He turns to leave before Rolfe can do much more than blink at him.

\---

It takes another week before the fleet is ready to ship out. Vaughan is surprised to find himself a bit sad to learn that he won’t be sailing with Ayle, Nesha, Ara, Neher, and Dosh. The lot of them are chatterboxes, but Vaughan had become used to their company. They're probably the closest things he has to friends in Skull’s Bay. Similarly, since he’ll be sailing on the _Sea Dragon_ , not _Madness_ , he won’t see Shane, Eleira, or One.

Vaughan is also dreading the journey because it will be forced interaction between himself and Rolfe. Vaughan hasn’t talked to the pirate since he told the man he would sail to the Gulf of Oro with the rest of the fleet. While he has decided to give Rolfe a chance to prove he’s a decent person after all, he is not looking forward to interacting with him.  
Vaughan reports to the _Dragon_ the night before they will sail out. Apparently, he’s been declared the _Dragon_ ’s Navigator and will spend much of his time in the crow’s nest or scouting as an osprey. When he argues and points out that he could be of more use rowing, he is gently shot down. Apparently, the pirates only row when navigating the Islands or when there’s no wind. When there’s no wind, it is easy enough for Vaughan to manipulate the sea breezes and ocean currents such that no one has to row, making it easier for the whole crew.

The journey takes about a total of a month and three weeks. They had intercepted the Xandrian fleet of the coast of the Stone Marshes, but now they have to go farther, to the Gulf of Oro itself. Vaughan gets rather good at avoiding Rolfe over the course of the journey. The other man seems happy enough to avoid him as well.

As Navigator, Vaughan is apparently third in command of the ship and answers only to Rolfe, as the _Dragon_ ’s captain, and Ilena, as her first mate. Honestly, Vaughan isn’t really sure he’s qualified to be third in command. Sure, he knows how to lead and order people about, but he doesn’t know much at all about the inner workings of a ship.

Ilena is kind enough to offer that he shadow her. She spends much of the month teaching him how to sail. He learns what the various sails are, what they do, how they are controlled, and where they are stored. He learns how to steer the ship, that small adjustments are best and to pick a point on the horizon to head towards. He learns that, above all else, he is to follow the wind.

He asks one day what good it does to teach him how to feel the wind and to tell when the sails are at the right angle to catch the wind if he can change the wind as needed.

Ilena winces in response. "Those of us without magic must learn to sail this way. And your magic can be taken away, correct? You will still need to be able to sail, even if you can't control the winds or the currents. So learn properly or get off my boat."

Vaughan doesn’t try to cheat after that.

\---

After a month and a half of sailing and learning how to sail, the _Dragon_ and the rest of the Skull’s Bay fleet arrive in the Gulf of Oro. Vaughan shifts and flies to Xandria. He manages to track down the Lord of Xandria, a stout, florid fellow by the name of Vostens. He is settled at his desk, ostensibly reading papers and writing reports. Given the half-empty bottle of brandy, the empty glass, and the glazed look in the lord's eyes, Vaughan is willing to be he's hiding from his duties.

With a bit more difficulty, he manages to track down the Queen of Melisande, a tall, graceful woman by the name of Kerdali. She is hidden deep in the back of the library, surrounded by stacks and stacks of books. Most of them seem to be on magic, the Fae, and the Old Ways. Vaughan can't help but wonder what she's up to, what exactly she's researching, and why.

Vaughan tells each of them to make their way out to the Gulf. He conveys that the Pirate Lord of the Dead Islands wants to form an alliance with them against Terrasen and Adarlan. Each accepts, and Vaughan flies back to the _Sea Dragon_. All that is left is to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be entirely honest, I only have one more full chapter written out. Hopefully, I'll be inspired, and I can get the last few written as well.
> 
> In regards to Rolfe and Vaughan, I have to figure out how to get them together. I don't think it can be as easy as Vaughan forgiving him, so we'll see.


	6. Cementing an Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is a day late. I had a full-day engagement yesterday, and wasn't able to post this.
> 
> Also, I have changed the chapter number. Turns out I managed to consolidate two of the chapters from my original outline.

It takes a week and a half for the Lord of Xandria and the Queen of Melisande to arrive. Vaughan spends the time playing with his magic and avoiding Rolfe. He might be able to understand why the pirate got into slave trading, but it neither justifies Rolfe's actions, nor is it enough for Vaughan to forgive him. Honestly, he doubts he’ll ever be able to forgive the man. Even if Vaughan didn't have his past to guide him, he knows he'd still view slavery as one of the worst evils possible.

When the Lord of Xandria and the Queen of Melisande finally show up, it is in a Xandrian ship named the _Blood Sands_ , which Vaughan can’t help but raise his eyebrows at. Maybe it’s just the pirates’ custom, but he's gotten the sense it’s a bit more traditional to name your ship after something more sea-related than a fucking desert.

 _Although_ , he muses, _if that’s the only interesting thing about your lands, I guess it’s what you’ve got._ Ilena, who has come up next to him, snorts at the Xandrian ship's name as well. Vaughan can hear pirates across the _Dragon_ ’s deck, _Madness_ ’ deck, and even as far as _Pearl_ ’s deck, at the back of the fleet. All of them are muttering about the Xandrian ship.

One group on _Runner_ complains it’s bad luck to name your ship after something so landbound as _sand_. The Sea God doesn’t like to share His domain with anyone or anything else. A group on _Abyss_ snorts that clearly the Xandrians are much better riders than sailors if even their boats are named after the land. Another group, clustered by _Walker_ 's mast, mutters something about always wanting to see the Red Desert. Vaughan hears a passing sailor quickly inform them that _true_ sailors never want to be on _land_.

Ilena leans closer to him and mutters, “I take it you can hear the other crews as well?” Vaughan nods, and she continues, “We tend to protect our ships and our livelihood. We don’t like anything that could even possibly be construed as disrespecting the sea, the Sea God, or Her domain.”

“So strangers,” Vaughan supplies, and Ilena snorts.

“Pretty much. Unless, like you, they want to become pirates and live by the sea. That’s part of why Rolfe distrusts Aelin so much, I think. Everything she does is fire. She has a little bit of water, yes, but she rarely uses it. And that threatens us.” The woman shrugs and crosses her arms, making her sea dragon tattoos ripple slightly. “Anyway, I came to tell you to follow our lead. Rolfe and I will handle negotiations.”

Vaughan raises his eyebrows. What does she think, that he’ll start blabbering? Even if he were planning to betray them -- which he’s not -- he would pick a more subtle and less obvious way to do so. Like, say, kill the pirates in their sleep. Or even spring a leak in each of the pirate ships' hulls and let everyone drown. Vaughan gets a little lost imagining the mechanics of that particular strategy. _Would it take currents? Spears of underground water? Freezing a certain portion of each hull and expanding the ice? Ice seems more Rowan's type of thing._ He's startled when Ilena chuckles quietly.

“Of course. My bad, I forgot. Ambassador you may be, but I doubt anyone would call you diplomatic.” She shakes her head a little. “Here they are.”

The Xandrian ship has come close enough to raft with the _Dragon_. The Xandrian crew and the Islands’ crew work together to secure the _Sands_ to the _Dragon_ ’s port handrail. Vaughan knows Captain Rawl is itching to raft up on the _Sands_ ’ port rail, and hem the Xandrians in, but she doesn’t. Vaughan supposes Rolfe wants to provide an illusion of safety and security for everyone involved.

It isn’t long before Lord Vostens of Xandria and Queen Kerdali of Melisande are stepping gingerly onto the Dragon. Vostens looks a sickly shade of green, and Vaughan is willing to bet he’s not a sailor. Kerdali, on the other hand, seems perfectly at ease. She smiles coldly and walks carefully over to midships, where Vaughan, Ilena, and Rolfe are waiting. If Vaughan couldn’t see the tension radiating up from her locked knees, he would think her a born sailor.

“You bring your messenger to a diplomatic meeting?” Vostens mocks, looking at Vaughan.

Vaughan amuses himself with coming up with as many creative ways to dispose of the nasty lord and ranking them. It’s a game he’s practiced for centuries, and he’s quite proud of it. At this point, his ranking system includes all sorts of measures, including ease of disposal, risk of discovery, amount/size of mess, and pleasure derived.

Rolfe and Ilena chuckle. "This is Vaughan. The Ambassador to Terrasen," Ilena says, sweeping a hand toward him and miming a courtly bow. Vaughan snorts quietly at her antics.

Vostens and Kerdali tense. "You brought her _ambassador_?" the queen hisses. "Are you idiots? Or just double-crossing, thieving wretches."

Rolfe shrugs. "Thieving, yes. Although we prefer _pirates_ to wretches." He grins. "I suppose you could say our life is wretched, if you're used to finery," he continues. Ilena murmurs in agreement. "But double-crossing? No."

"Vaughan flipped to our side shortly after arriving on the Islands," Ilena explains. "He realized we could offer him more than the queen could, and agreed to help us rather than that fire-breathing bitch." Ilena doesn't spit, though Vaughan's fairly sure it's only out of a sense of respect for the _Dragon_ 's deck. Vaughan is a bit impressed with Ilena's acting skills. _No wonder she's his Second,_ he thinks. _She works the bar, a pretty face for people to talk around, and reports everything back to him, no one the wiser._

"And what could a bunch of pirates offer that the Queen of Terrasen can't?" Vostens sneers. Vaughan can hear the crew shifting angrily at the implied slight.

 _Might want to watch your tone_ , he thinks viciously. _Bad ship name plus disrespect equals nothing good, that's for sure._

"May I introduce my Third, Vaughan, Navigator of the _Sea Dragon_ and head of all magic on the Islands?" Rolfe asks grandly, sweeping an arm towards Vaughan, who dips his chin in acknowledgement. "We can offer Vaughan power, a position of strength, and a life he's wanted for, what was it, four centuries now?"

"Almost five."

Rolfe nods. "So you see, our offer was _much_ more attractive than anything the queen could come up with." He smiles, although Vaughan recognizes it for the challenge it really is.

Kerdali seems to recognize that as well, and bares her teeth in return. Vostens just looks pleased with himself, as if he knows something Rolfe doesn't. As if he knows he has an advantage in this dance of careful words and sly expressions.

"Well, then," Kerdali finally says, seeming to relax slightly, although Vaughan notes she still has her knees locked. "You came all this way to meet us, whatever for?"

"Did Vaughan not tell you?" Ilena asks innocently, leaning around Rolfe to give him a look. "We did tell him to explain everything fully and answer any questions you might pose."

"All he said was the Pirate Lord and his fleet wished to speak with us as soon as possible," Vostens says dully. "It seemed more a threat than anything else, so we made all due haste."

Vaughan highly doubts that. Kerdali does not seem like the type to make 'all due haste' because he scared her. Vostens, sure, but the queen is shrewd enough to plan first. Plus, he didn't even intend to scare them! All he said was that the Pirate Lord and his advisors wished to discuss the possibility of becoming allies against Terrasen.

"Ah, well, in that case, stay with us for the evening meal. We would love to discuss something." Rolfe looks around comically before lowering his voice. "We heard you were allied against Terrasen. We wish to join your efforts."

Vostens' eyes bug out and he makes a truly inspired impersonation of a beached fish for a moment or two. "Of course, we need any and all help we can get," he says fervently. "Aelin and Ansel are both strong and well-supported. We would love--"

He's cut off when Kerdali smacks her hand over her mouth. She chuckles darkly. "Vostens may forget, but I remember who Ansel stole my fleet to meet. Aelin, yes, but more importantly, Aelin and a fleet from the Islands. You supported her in the war. Why turn on her now?"

Rolfe shrugs. "Why else? Business. Turns out war is good for my ships. Plenty of ships to capture, weapons deals to orchestrate, and treasure to steal. Peacetime? Well, that's a whole different game." He grins again, baring his teeth. "Maybe we want to start a conflict. And if we do, we want protection."

Kerdali raises her eyebrows. "This… 'conflict,' as you so charmingly put it, will happen with or without your interference. So why are you really here?"

"Because Aelin made us privateers. She doesn't have an actual navy. I want to profit from both sides. I want to be allied with you so I get a share from your profits and deals. And I want to be allied _against_ her so I can withhold her entire naval force and collect ransom profit." He shrugs magnanimously. "We are but humble tradespeople. We simply want to do what's best for the continued survival of the Islands."

"It's all about our profit," Ilena chimes in, spreading her hands placatingly. "And we have come to the conclusion that allying with you is the best way to maximize our profits."

"How do we know you won't cross us as soon as you have the chance?" Vostens asks suspiciously. "You ditched Aelin the second a whiff of a better offer came your way. What if Aelin gives a better offer?"

Ilena sighs. "It's a point of pride we don't go back on our agreements. Aelin never allied with us _forever_ , just for the war. She assumed it would continue; we don't feel bound to the agreement. If we ally with you, it will be until this conflict against Ansel and Aelin is won." Now it's her turn to bare her teeth in a faux grin. "And we will most likely cross you then."

Vostens snorts. "And you expect us to just, what, trust you? As if. We aren't stupid."

 _One of you isn't stupid_ , Vaughan amends silently. _And it isn't you. You're exactly the same as that piece of work Benson_.

"He does have a point," Kerdali murmurs thoughtfully. "We will accept your invitation to supper. We will hammer out the bounds of our new alliance then, I think."

Ilena, Rolfe, and Vaughan all nod slightly as Kerdali and Vostens walk back to their ship. Ilena spins and starts issuing orders to the pirates aboard, while Rolfe spreads his hands. He looks at the map inked across them, turning them over, maneuvering them side to side, and lining up their edges. “Just them,” he mutters to himself. “No reinforcements, no other ships, nothing. I don’t understand. Either they’re overly confident and foolhardy, or they have some secret I can’t see.” He hums quietly to himself before looking at Vaughan. “Shift and fly to _Madness_. Tell Eleira I don’t think it’s as easy as it seems and to be on her guard. Tell her if anything goes south, enact Ghost Story.”

 _Ghost Story?_ Vaughan wonders silently, but does as told. Captain and One nod when he conveys Rolfe’s message.

“We don’t think this is what it seems either,” One says. “But understood. I’ll coordinate informing the other captains.” They salute Captain and disappear towards the stern.

“Ghost Story?” Vaughan asks quietly, when One is out of sight.

Captain sighs and nods tiredly. “It’s a rescue plan, escape maneuver, and fear tactic rolled into one,” she explains. “Rolfe and I came up with it, oh, over a decade ago now. Just hope it doesn’t have to be used. Rolfe likes to threaten it if anything goes south, but I only use it when _everything_ goes south. It’s a last-ditch plan and a very bad idea.”

 _Huh_ , Vaughan thinks as he flies back to the Dragon. _I wonder what could be so bad Captain won’t use it unless she has exhausted all other options?_

\---

Supper is horrendous, in Vaughan’s humble opinion. Although, he supposes it could also be viewed as hilarious, depending on the light. It starts when Vostens curls his lip in disgust. Apparently, he doesn’t think sitting with the crew in the ship’s galley is appropriate.

Rolfe’s response is golden. As politely as he possibly can be, he opens the door to the captain’s rooms. He explains that it has the most space other than the galley or the deck. The deck, of course, is rather a bit windy to eat a proper meal, although they could shelter on the stern, behind the wheel.

The captain’s quarters are only slightly larger than the regular crewmates’ quarters on _Madness_. And given the two ships are about the same dimensions, shape, and layout, Vaughan assumes the _Dragon_ ’s quarters and _Madness_ ’ quarters are similar in size. What extra space Rolfe’s quarters do have is mostly taken up by a large chest of drawers, a slightly larger bed than regular crew members get, and a paper-strewn desk. There is no space for a group of five to sit and eat, unless they plan to sit spread about the room. Which, given Vostens’ reluctance to eat at a table in the galley, seems unlikely.

Sure enough, Vostens grumbles for a moment before saying, “Fine. We can eat with the commoners. But we must talk quietly. There can be no chatter about this.”

“Why, Lord Vostens, I didn’t know you had such standards,” Ilena says, smiling widely. “After all, we’re all commoners. Hard to separate commoner from noble in the Dead Islands.”

Vostens swallows and looks highly uncomfortable. “What are you talking about, Lady? He’s the Lord of the Pirates, Sovereign Ruler of the Dead Islands. And you are his Lady, are you not? I mean no offense, but surely you matter more than the commoners eating below.”

Rolfe grins. “Ilena is not my Lady. I’ve offered many a time, but she always turns me down. And I may be the Pirate Lord and Sovereign Ruler, but my blood is only vaguely noble.” He closes his eyes and furrows his brows, clearly thinking hard. “Let’s see, the Mycenians ruled Ilium three hundred years ago, before getting ousted. And that was only after being declared legitimate by whichever ruler was on Terrasen's throne at the time. If we reckon a kid every twenty years or so, that’s what, fifteen generations of commoner blood bred into slightly illegitimate nobility?” He opens his eyes and shrugs. “I am just as common as any of my subjects, I assure you.”

Vostens opens his mouth, presumably to argue more, but Kerdali cuts him off. “We are deeply sorry to impose. And never fear, we all accept your status as Sovereign Ruler. We would not dare cross the Queen of Terrasen so openly.”

“At least not until you’ve destroyed her, anyway,” Rolfe amends cheerfully, leading them back to the galley. Supper is in full swing; the various tables are loud and uproarious. After all, meals are the only time to see someone not on your shift. The pirates have a fairly efficient nine-hour rotation, where shifts overlap at each end for a half-hour meal.

“So. You’ve told us what we can do for you. What can you do for us? Why should we ally with you?” Kerdali asks, leaning forward to be heard over the din. It’s an ingenious strategy on Rolfe’s part. Vaughan knows for a fact that some of the pirates at the nearest table can hear them, and are doing their best to pick up every word. But the overall noise level makes Vostens and Kerdali more comfortable discussing such sensitive topics.

"We provide a front, of course," Ilena says conspiratorially. She leans forward and drops her voice to a whisper. "We mislead Aelin, keep her from learning anything we don't want her to. We'll manipulate what information she gets, when she gets it, and who she gets it from." Ilena smirks. "Her plans don't do her much good when her information is false."

"So we fund you, and you keep the queen in the dark? Doesn't quite seem fair to me." Kerdali raises one eyebrow archly. "What about Ansel? I want Aelin out of the way, but I want Briarcliff dead at my feet," she snarls.

Rolfe chuckles. "No can do. Briarcliff is pretty much landlocked. Pirates aren't much use in a landlocked war, you know." He drums his fingers on the table. "Although, there is that one maneuver," he muses.

Ilena raises her eyebrows. "It's risky, but it could work, and it's probably our only shot. How else do we get into the mountains?" She raises her eyebrows pointedly, and Vaughan sighs inaudibly. Apparently he's expected to join this charade as well.

"Or the witches," he offers.

"So he can speak," Vostens murmurs thoughtfully, reaching out as if to poke Vaughan.

Rolfe clicks his tongue before the Xandrian can do much more than flinch towards Vaughan. "I wouldn't touch him. Or slight him. Vaughan has one of the finest tempers I've ever encountered, and, well, he's Fae. He hasn't forgotten a grudge in over four hundred years."

Vaughan resists the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, Rolfe is blustering, but there might also be a kernel of truth… _Fine_ , Vaughan decides. _I can play, too. This will be fun._

He leans back in his chair and closes his eyes. "Markus Inglefoot. Stole my purse and food my first night in the city. Four hundred and fifty two years ago." He's guessing on the date, but they don't really need to know that. "Amelia Shantry. Destroyed my Yule present. Four hundred and seventy three years ago."

Vaughan smirks at the looks on everyone's faces. Rolfe is gleeful and a bit wary. Ilena is amused and delighted. Vostens is terrified and embarrassed. Kerdali is, on the surface, unimpressed, but Vaughan can see a flicker of fear in her eyes and the set of her mouth.

Dropping all pretense of amusement, he leans forward and braces his forearms against the table. "Commander Eileen Wyant. Captured and tortured my brother. Three hundred and sixty eight years ago. General Ishgar Landor. Killed my brother's unit and left him for dead. Two hundred and forty three years ago." He snarls quietly at the memories. People always assume it's Lorcan who holds the longest grudges, and they wouldn't be too far off. Lorcan is certainly vocal about his grudges, and actively works to end them.

Vaughan, on the other hand, keeps a mental tally of every slight done to him. From tiny things most people would forget to the big ones even Gavriel would want vengeance for. He doesn't generally do anything for the small slights, just remembers. And then, through his grudges and the debts people owed him, Vaughan builds an empire of secrets. Before everything went down with Lorcan's and Rowan's betrayals, Vaughan had had a network of informants throughout the city. People who owed him, people he had dirt on, people who were scared of what he might someday do to them, even the occasional person who just wanted to help subvert Maeve's total dominion over the city. The only reason he can think of for why he would ever miss Doranelle is the access to his informants.

"And what did you do to them all?" Kerdali asks, trying to sound bored and uninterested but not quite hitting the mark.

"Markus was executed four hundred and two years ago for petty theft and burglary." Lie. Assuming nothing untoward has happened in the last year and a half, Markus is happily living as a petty thief and occasional burglar.

"Amelia died in a boating accident four hundred and seventy years ago." Lie. Vaughan isn't sure what happened to her; he hasn't seen or heard from her since they were children.

"Eileen was killed in battle three hundred and sixty seven years ago." Truth, although it was Gavriel who avenged Lorcan's torture. The Lion got remarkably vicious when anyone threatened his family. The grief that drove him to get tattooed with the deaths of those under his command was easy enough to flip into vengeance against those who hurt the people he cared about.

"Ishgar was assassinated in his home two hundred and forty years ago." Truth, although Vaughan leaves out the bit where he offered Ishgar's family an oath of loyalty to him first. They accepted, and his widow and two children were a key portion of his southern web.

"And that is all? Four measly people you've killed over the years after they hurt you or your brother?" Vostens tries to hide his fear under bravado.

Vaughan tilts his head to one side. "I am approaching a full five centuries. I have wronged and been wronged for centuries. There is not enough daylight to tell you of all the grudges I carry." He bares his teeth and starts ticking off names. "Caroline Gardennier. Thero Yargo. Myren Cortis. Xider Largessen. Payton Irling. Shall I continue?"

Vostens tries to stare Vaughan down. The lord does fine until Vaughan actually makes eye contact with him, and the Xandrian starts swallowing nervously and fidgeting. Vaughan is willing to bet the man has never even met a Fae before, much less challenged one to a dominance contest.

“All right, then,” Kerdali murmurs, turning to Ilena and Rolfe. “So you plan to take out our enemies for us? That’s what you’ll bring?”

“Well, no, not as such. See, we’ll distract and mislead Aelin and Ansel,” Rolfe explains, “but not take them out. We’ll leave that to you. We wouldn’t want to step on our new allies’ toes.”

Vostens finally breaks Vaughan’s stare and turns to glance at Kerdali. Vaughan is grudgingly impressed, it takes a fair amount of strength, resignation, or both to end a dominance contest like that, especially if you’re losing. Vostens and Kerdali seem to silently communicate something back and forth before turning to face Rolfe and Ilena once more. Vostens carefully does not look at Vaughan.

“We would be happy to have you as our allies. Shall we return to Xandria and discuss our way moving forward?” Kerdali asks politely. “The _Sands_ and the _Dragon_ can sail back to Xandria and meet in Vostens’ manor. There’s a wonderful market happening in the next few weeks, we ought to return just in time for that.”

Rolfe nods. “We would be honored to be invited into your city and home,” he says. “Shall we set out at first light?”

Kerdali and Vostens nod, and the group of five spends the rest of the evening setting out plans and ideas for their alliance. Vaughan is a little surprised to see that Kerdali, at least, has thought this through quite a bit. He supposes she probably spent the week-long journey to meet the _Dragon_ determining where the pirates fit into her plan. It’s almost a shame; if she weren’t so set against Aelin and Ansel, Vaughan is fairly sure the three would get along scarily well. From everything he’s heard, Aelin is quite fond of careful, well-laid plans and secrecy.

But it seems Kerdali is bitter over being deposed and banished from her kingdom. Vaughan almost can’t blame her for wanting to take out Ansel and Aelin. They stole her people, her country, and her throne from her. She is nothing but what she can gain through her wits and manipulating Vostens. No wonder she wants to get rid of the two queens in the North. Vaughan doesn't want to flip to her side, but he does empathize with her a bit.

\---

At first light, the _Dragon_ and the _Sands_ set out towards Xandria. It’ll be about six days of sailing, if they don’t stop for the night. Vaughan is fairly confident Vostens and Kerdali are not going to pull shifts, and probably won’t want to sleep with the noise and motion that comes from an actively moving boat. So Vaughan estimates it will probably take them about nine or ten days of good sailing to get to Xandria.

He isn’t to see it, however, because Rolfe pulls him aside as soon as the queen and lord have left the _Dragon_. “How long will it take to fly to Orynth?” he hisses quietly, as Ilena coordinates informing the other captains of the Dragon’s imminent departure.

“Five straight days or so,” Vaughan murmurs after a moment.

“How long will it take you to do a round trip?” Rolfe asks, tallying something up on his fingers.

“Eleven days. Five each way and a day to eat and sleep in between.”

“Okay.” Rolfe rubs his forehead with one hand and slumps a bit. “I need you to fly to Aelin and tell her what all is happening. She needs to know about their plans.” He sighs deeply. “We’ll do what we can to sail slowly so you’re back before we get to Xandria. Then hopefully we can stall their plans and get everything situated for Aelin to arrive.”

“And do what? Kill them?” Vaughan asks. That will only make this worse. They must have other allies if they think they can topple Aelin and Ansel. Killing them will only add fuel to their allies’ fires. If they turn Vostens and Kerdali into martyrs, this will never end, and Aelin and her allies will never be safe.

“No. Negotiate with them, specifically Kerdali. She allied with Adarlan and Morath, yes, but I’m not sure it was because she was evil. I think she just wanted to protect her people.” Rolfe shrugs. “If Aelin can turn her so Kerdali and Melisande support Terrasen, then all of Kerdali’s allies will kneel as well. And if they don’t, I doubt they’re much of a problem.”

“All right.” Vaughan shifts quickly and sets out to fly. He’ll be exhausted when he gets to Orynth, but, if he’s careful, conserves his magic, and is lucky enough to land in a slipstream or two, it should be bearable.

In his haste to leave, Vaughan doesn’t notice the small mechanical bug detach itself from under the railing and fly soundlessly after him.


	7. Xandrian Prison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am so sorry I posted late last week. If you haven't seen, I didn't manage to post Chapter 6, Cementing an Alliance, until last Sunday. This is a bit of a shorter chapter, and I have officially reached where I have prewritten to! The current plan is to continue with Saturday postings, but there may be an occasional Sunday if I don't get it done on time.

Vaughan manages to get to Orynth the evening of the fourth day after he leaves the _Dragon_. He is lucky; the White Fang and Staghorn mountains have a number of wind currents and slipstreams he can coast in and take brief rests. It would have been even easier if he could have found a flock to coast with as well. Unfortunately for Vaughan, most flocks don't fly northward in mid to late fall.

When he gets to Orynth, he heads immediately for Aelin and Rowan. He explains what he and Rolfe have been up to, as well as what Kerdali and Vostens are planning.

“I knew we should’ve done more to deal with her when we had the chance,” Aelin mutters. "We just assumed Ansel sacking her city and taking over would be enough. Stupid, stupid, stupid." She starts to pace, but Rowan puts a soothing hand on her shoulder.

“We were preparing for war. And then you were captured, and she didn’t seem like much of a problem,” Rowan tells her quietly. “You can't blame yourself for this. You had bigger things to deal with than a newly-deposed queen. This is as much on our shoulders as it is on yours. It's not your fault, Aelin."

"No, Rowan." She turns, and Rowan's hand slides off her shoulder. "This is my fault. I'm the _queen_. I led the war effort, I came up with our battle strategies, I missed this. And if it was so easy to just forget about Melisande, how easy was it to forget something else? Gods, Rowan, everything is coming back to bite us in the ass, and I don't know what to do."

“You could turn her,” Vaughan offers.

Aelin looks up at him. “Hmm? Like those stories about the Fae biting people and turning them into baby Fae? It doesn't work that way.”

"Really?" Rowan mutters, smirking slightly. "I thought it worked fairly well on you."

Aelin blushes and shoves her mate. "Shut up. I'm pretty sure those are based on the Valg, anyway. I can believe the older Valg wandered around biting people and turning them into demons."

Vaughan sighs. _Why is she so talkative? And how can Rowan stand it? Used to be, he liked the brooding silence almost as much as Lorcan and me._ “No. Get her on your side," he explains.

Rowan tips his head to one side, and Aelin mirrors the gesture. Vaughan has to stifle a laugh. The expression on the queen’s and prince’s faces are exactly the same. Eyes slightly narrowed in thought, mouths a tiny bit pursed, eyebrows just a touch furrowed. “You want us to convince someone to support us? Someone who blames me for everything that’s happened and wants to steal my throne?” Aelin asks.

Vaughan nods slowly. “She wants to protect her people. She blames you and Ansel for keeping her from doing so.”

Aelin sighs deeply. “Fine. I will arrange a meeting with her in neutral territory, say Fenharrow? I’ll tell her I wish to support Melisande, and that it seems she is the best person to do that. I'll explain that, while I still don't exactly trust her, I recognize that all she wanted was to save her people, an admirable wish in a ruler.”

Vaughan nods. He can stall until then, and this does seem like the best plan. Much more diplomatic than kicking off another war. He can fight, sure. All of the blood-sworn could. Maeve would have had little use for her attack guards and sometime assassins if she couldn't also use them as generals and commanders. That was the majority of their role. They commanded her armies and trained young soldiers. Vaughan always preferred when he was sent as a diplomat. He doesn't like unnecessary chatter, but he is very good at finding people's pressure points and weaknesses. Diplomacy and manipulation have always served him far better than brute force.

Vaughan spends the rest of the day refueling and sleeping. He needs to be as ready as possible to fly back to the _Dragon_ and debrief Ilena and Rolfe.

\---

Vaughan leaves in the morning. It takes him slightly longer than before, and he arrives at the _Dragon_ on the morning of the sixth day of flying. All of the slipstreams he was able to use on the flight north were of little help in the opposite direction. He had, at one point, fallen in with a flock of tern, but his osprey is so much more massive than the average tern that he didn't get much benefit from flying with them.

In short, Vaughan is exhausted, the type of bone-deep weariness that precedes a deep, days-long slumber as his body tries to recuperate and refill his magic reservoir. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have pushed himself so far. He knows his body and his magic well enough to know that he'll be out of commission. Not just that, but, going by the aches and pains throughout his body, he'll be out for at least a few days.

It couldn't be helped. If he had taken too long in his flight, the _Dragon_ and the _Sands_ would have already docked in Xandria by the time he arrived, and his absence would be remarked upon. If he had pushed himself too hard, he would have been absolutely useless should any problems arise or the crew get in a fight. Unfortunately, it would appear he's arrived just a tad too late. The ships are docked at what Vaughan assumes is Xandria. Vaughan would be a bit more worried about tracking down Rolfe and Ilena, but he can feel himself at the brink of collapse.

Vaughan stumbles across the deck to his quarters. He’s sharing with a few of the higher-ranked crew members, all of whom are much more qualified to be third-in-command than he is. The room seems oddly empty, but Vaughan assumes his cabinmates are eating in the galley or somewhere on land. Hadn't Kerdali mentioned something about a market happening soon? Come to think of it, he should probably get something to eat before he falls asleep, but he can’t really be bothered.

Vaughan collapses onto his bunk. He manages to toe his boots off and pull up the thin blanket before he's out like a light.

The little mechanical bug that has been following him since he first flew from the _Dragon_ slides down the doorframe. It chitters softly, though Vaughan doesn’t hear. He’s already fast asleep, lost in a dreamless, healing sleep. Slowly and carefully, the bug makes its way over to Vaughan. If it had been human, it might have seemed to tiptoe, rising up on its spindly legs, gingerly making its way across the creaky wood. When it has reached the frame of the bunk, it flies up until it is level with Vaughan's neck. Ever so slowly, the mechanical beetle extends a long, thin needle loaded with a clear fluid. It jabs Vaughan in the neck before flying out of the room and off to its owner.

\---

When Vaughan wakes up, he’s in a windowless cell. One wall is formed from iron bars, while the other three are solid stone. He is lying on a hard stone bench with what he supposes passes for a straw pallet. In the corner is a pot reeking of piss and shit. In short, he’s in a prison cell. A human prison cell, though. The only iron around is in the bars and the chains supporting his stone slab of a bed. He gets off the bed first. It's built for a human, not necessarily a full Fae male, and he does not want to run the risk of it breaking under him.

Then he moves over to examine the walls. The wall opposite the bars has a small window. It's a little over six and a half feet above the ground, and whoever built it probably assumed that was too tall for most humans to use. Vaughan peers out of it. The window opens onto a street flanked with grand buildings. He's peering out at street level, so Vaughan assumes the prison is at least partially underground. Judging from the buildings' shadows, it is either late afternoon or early morning. However, Vaughan can also hear the faint sounds of chatter and city bustle. He decides most of it is probably coming from the market.

The walls to his right and left are fairly boring. They're just stone slabs fitted together. There's no decoration, just the aforementioned bed and pisspot. Vaughan walks up to the bars. He can't touch them without feeling the cold, oily tang of iron, but he can lean towards them. "Red sky at morning," he calls softly. Rolfe had explained that, if they ever got captured or approached by someone claiming to be a pirate, this is the code phrase.

"Sailors take warning," someone responds. "Red sky at night," they continue.

"Sailors delight." Rolfe had also explained that, because code phrases are notoriously easy to get out of someone, the pirates' has two parts. And, if it is ever compromised, Rolfe has books upon books of possible phrases to use instead.

Knowing that there are pirates elsewhere in the prison shifts Vaughan's priorities. If it had just been him, he would've been fine to wait. It's not like this cell could hold him for long if he decided to leave. But he has crewmates languishing in the same prison. His first priority is to get them out to safety. If he can get them on the _Dragon_ , they can sail back, rejoin the fleet, and decide what to do and where to go from there.

Vaughan promptly breaks out of his cell. He may hate the sting of iron against his skin, but he’s trained himself to brute-force his way through it. And yes, iron dulls the magic-enhanced senses of the Fae, but it can’t cancel them entirely. Well, not unless the Fae is encased entirely in iron, but that’s a different story altogether. And even if some of his strength and speed comes from baseline magic, he's still heavily muscled and quite strong. It takes him a bit, but he’s able to bend the iron bars enough to shift and flutter out. His osprey is smaller than his Fae form, and he can squeeze through the gaps.

Once he’s free, Vaughan makes his way along the corridor. In the cells lining either side of the hall is most of the Dragon crew. Only Rolfe and Ilena seem to be missing, which doesn't surprise Vaughan. It makes sense to separate out the captain and first mate. What he doesn't know is why he wasn't separated out as well.

Vaughan starts to feel a wiggling tendril in his gut, warning him this will not end well. It's clearly a trap. Why put the Fae male in the cell he can easily break out of and stage a jailbreak from? Still, he has to take the chance to save the crew. Yes, this is almost certainly a trap, but he might be able to set the crew free, warn Captain and the rest of the fleet, and escape the hellhole that is this city before the trap's jaws swing shut.

Vaughan finds a key ring hanging on the wall next to the door at the end of the corridor. He opens each of the cells quietly, telling the pirates inside to slip out and make their way to the Dragon. They can sail back to where _Madness_ and the rest of the fleet are. They'll be safe there. When he asks if anyone knows where Ilena and Rolfe are, one of his cabinmates tells him they are in their own cells. She says she thinks they’re in the next hallway, to keep them separate and from organizing an escape.

Vaughan raises his eyebrows at that, but heads off to free Ilena and Rolfe. They need to get out as soon as possible. Vaughan's not entirely sure where they are. It's equally likely they're in the Xandrian city prison and that Vostens has them stashed away in the basement of his manor. It doesn’t take much to find Ilena and Rolfe. They are, as expected, locked in individual cells, though these have doors with little windows, not bars. Whoever put Vaughan in his cell must have been exceptionally stupid. It is child’s play to get out of bars. It is less easy to get out of a cell with a solid door.

However, with a key, it is still overly easy to get Ilena and Rolfe free. Vaughan leads them out to where the rest of the Dragon’s crew escaped from. They exit the prison to find themselves on the street Vaughan had seen through his window. He leads the _Dragon_ 's crew towards the sounds of people chattering and walking. Soon enough, they find themselves in the middle of a bustling market.

Ilena takes the lead. She silently leads Rolfe, Vaughan, and the rest of the crew through the crowds, past markets selling everything from fancy footwear to fresh-baked bread. The stalls spill all across the city, it seems, including right up to the edge of the harbor. Docked where they had left it is the _Dragon_. Vaughan moves to the back of the train of _Dragon_ crewmembers, ushering the slower ones ahead. Soon, all of the crew is aboard the ship, and only Ilena, Rolfe and Vaughan are left on the docks. Vaughan can see flashes of movement as the crewmembers scurry about the deck, frantically preparing the ship to depart.

Ilena leads them up the gangplank and aboard the ship. As she steps aboard, the sails go up with an audible _whoomph_ and oars suddenly slide out from the belly of the ship. At the same time, a warning bell farther inland starts to ring. Before Vaughan can pull up his shields around the entire ship, he feels an arrow pierce his shoulder and sees Rolfe get hit in the leg. Rolfe loses his balance and falls off the gangplank. Desperately, Vaughan throws his magic out in a net and catches the Pirate Lord. Between the magic expenditure and the arrow, which must be iron-tipped, Vaughan is suddenly and intensely woozy, and he, too, falls off the gangplank.

His last action before falling unconscious is to push a gust of wind into the _Dragon_ ’s sails and send her safely toward the rest of the fleet.

\---

When Vaughan comes to, he is chained to the wall of a cell. It has a door this time, and he is encased in enough iron to make escape more difficult. He isn’t completely trussed up, but it’s still enough for him to feel the bite of iron and a thick, weighted blanket draped over the well of his magic.

“Vaughan?” Rolfe calls. It would seem he’s on the other side of the wall. Wiggling about, Vaughan can see that the mortar between a few of the stones in his wall has weakened and crumbled. He grunts in reply.

“Oh, good, you’re awake. I’ve been awake for almost an hour already, I wasn’t sure when you’d wake up,” the man says. Vaughan can hear a quiet thunk as Rolfe leans his head against the wall. “I don’t suppose you could get us out of here?” he asks.

“Too much iron,” Vaughan responds.

“Yes, that was the idea. We knew you would double-cross us, we just needed proof," a new voice says. It sounds bored, and Vaughan has a brief but visceral flashback to Maeve. She would use that exact tone of voice whenever they failed a mission or didn't do exactly as she wanted. Maeve would sit on her throne, lazily looking down at the males kneeling at her feet. She'd scrape one nail along the armrest before asking them to explain what they did wrong.

“Kerdali?” Rolfe asks, tearing Vaughan from his memories.

Kerdali chuckles. “You thought I would just let you walk out of here? I’m not stupid. Why would I put the Fae in a normal cell if I didn’t want you to escape? No, Vaughan’s job was to get the rest of the crew out. Which you did so well, thank you ever so kindly.”

Vaughan snarls quietly, and Kerdali tsks. “None of that, now. You’ll wait until Aelin gets worried and sends one of her boytoys down to check up on you. Maybe one of your crew will even send a missive to her. I don’t care, honestly. Once she’s here, we’ll take her out.”

_Huh. So then she must not have been listening to the whole conversation with Aelin_ , Vaughan thinks. _Otherwise she'd know Aelin already planned to meet her peacefully._ A sudden thought occurs to him, and he bolts upright. _How will Aelin react when she finds out Kerdali captured us and is sort of holding us hostage? She only reluctantly agreed to the diplomatic plan._

“So this was never about Ansel?” Rolfe asks.

“Yes, of course it’s about Ansel. That bitch stole my country, my people, my home, and my crown. But Ansel still thinks she needs to make up for betraying Aelin. She marched to Endovier when the queen got kidnapped. When _I_ kidnap Aelin, she’ll come running.” She sighs happily. “So thank you both, for the parts you’ve played. This would’ve been so much harder without you.”

Vaughan listens to her go. When he hears the door clang, he waits a few seconds more before asking, “You have a plan?”

Rolfe sighs. “It’s more a contingency than anything else. Eleira will know what to do.”

“Ghost Story,” Vaughan says, putting the pieces together. He chuckles. “I do hope she moves quickly with it.”

Rolfe sighs. “It’ll depend on whether the captains declare her Pirate Lord or Acting Pirate Lord. I got captured. I’ve demonstrated I’m not fit to lead the fleet. And she’s the best captain, she’ll be the next Pirate.”

“Acting Pirate Lord?” Vaughan asks.

“If she can convince the captains that I am still fit to be Pirate, she’ll only be instated as Acting Pirate. She’ll have just as much power, at least while I’m stuck here, but she won’t be bogged down by becoming the Pirate.” Vaughan can hear Rolfe sigh noisily. "Basically, the Pirate is the Pirate. That's it. If the Pirate is sick or can't do something, then the Acting Pirate steps in. They have all the power of the true Pirate, but they're expected to step down. Since it's temporary, it doesn't take much to be declared Acting Pirate."

“Is it a complicated process?” Vaughan asks. He starts feeling out the room with his magic. He can spread it a little ways, but not nearly enough to break them free. He can tell, though, that they’ve been planted with some sort of clockwork devices. “Wait,” he orders, as he picks up the one stuck to him.

Rolfe falls silent, and Vaughan examines the bug. It appears to be a little clockwork beetle, with tiny mechanical wings and beaded eyes. Its little legs kick slightly, and he clenches his fist to destroy it. It crumbles fairly easily, and various tiny gears and springs fall to the floor. Most of them are bent far out of shape.

“There’s a bug behind your right knee,” he tells Rolfe, and listens to the sounds of the man moving about. Rolfe sucks in a breath, presumably when he finds it, and Vaughan says, “Crush it. It could be listening in.” Vaughan can hear the light tinkling of metal parts hitting the floor as Rolfe destroys the bug.

“Are there any more?” Rolfe asks quietly.

Vaughan sends his magic about the rooms. It would seem they are the only things in them, although they each also have a cot and a pot. “No.”

Rolfe breathes a sigh of relief. “I wonder if Aelin knows about their bugs,” he muses. “She’d probably find a use for them.” He trails off and is silent for a few minutes. Eventually, he speaks up again. “You asked about the process to become the Pirate Lord. It’s not complicated, exactly, but it requires at least half of the captains of the fleet to be present and agree to recognize someone as the new Pirate Lord.”

“How many captains are in the Gulf?”

“Technically five. Of eleven. And that includes Eleira, who isn’t supposed to vote for herself.” Rolfe sighs. “Ilena can’t vote for me because she isn’t the captain. She can carry out orders and issue orders for the ship, but she can’t vote as a captain.”

“So it could be four months before she can carry out Ghost Story,” Vaughan says. "If the entire fleet has to sail back to the Islands to get enough captains."

“Yes. If the captains decide she needs to be instated as the new Pirate Lord before anything else. But Ilena, Eleira, and One will do what they can to get her declared Acting Pirate Lord for now. If she is Acting Pirate, it takes either a full vote of all captains except for her and me or my death for her to become Pirate.” Vaughan must make a quizzical noise, because Rolfe explains, “Acting Pirate Lord suggests the actual Pirate is simply indisposed. Pirate Lord suggests the previous Pirate abdicated, died, or was deposed.”

“So now we wait,” Vaughan grumbles.

“Yes. Now we wait.”


	8. Prison Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this is late! I only had about 200 words of this written already by yesterday morning. I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with where it ended up going, but I think I needed to talk through what gets talked through.
> 
> Warnings for slavery discussions and Vaughan's dark backstory. Please read with caution if any of that may trigger you.

After three weeks, Vaughan and Rolfe are forced to admit Rolfe has been deposed and they’ll be waiting a good deal longer. If Eleira were able to get herself installed as simply Acting Pirate, it should’ve taken, at most, two weeks for Ghost Story to take effect.

Vaughan and Rolfe fall into a pattern. They are fed two times a day, but are otherwise left alone to fend for themselves. Vaughan finds it much easier to talk to the man when he can’t see him, and he finds himself opening up about all sorts of things. Besides, he doesn't exactly have anything else to do. The chains are just long enough for him to pace a few steps, from the door to the single barred window along the outside wall. While Vaughan would normally be fine with the solitude, Rolfe seems desperate to remind himself that he isn't alone.

The first thing they have an in-depth conversation about is Rolfe’s history as a slaver. Surprisingly, it is Rolfe who brings it up, about a month into their prison stay.

“You talked to Ilena and Eleira about why I started trading slaves,” the pirate says one afternoon. Vaughan assumes it’s afternoon, at least. They don’t get much light, but it’s sometime between their morning and evening meal.

Vaughan grunts in reply.

“When Adarlan took over the continent, it had a monopoly on everything. Including the sea,” he starts. “Before, the pirates of the Dead Islands would attack merchant fleets sailing from one country to the next. But trade everywhere suffered when Adarlan occupied the entire continent. Trade in weapons, slaves, and food went up, but Adarlan didn’t care about much else. They started patrolling the coasts with naval ships, and charging heavy taxes on any non-Adarlanian ship.”

Vaughan grunts. He’s heard all of this from Ilena and Eleira already. If Rolfe is going to chatter away at him, he could at least have some helpful insight to offer. Preferably, it would be some nugget of motivation that neither Ilena nor Eleira knew about.

“Let me finish.” Rolfe sighs and continues, “We couldn’t afford to pay the tariffs on shipping or the ‘waterway fee’ for guaranteed safe passage through Adarlanian-controlled waters. And all of the waters were under Adarlanian control.” Vaughan can almost hear Rolfe rolling his eyes as the man takes a pause. “Whenever one of our ships went out, the entire crew, cargo, and the ship itself was at risk. We went from thirty ships strong to five in two months.”

Vaughan whistles quietly. The Islands’ fleet only has eleven ships now. He can’t even imagine what it must have been like in its heyday. “How did you have the crew?” he asks. From what he’d seen, most of the Islands’ population sailed in the fleet. But if there were three times as many ships… 

“Before Adarlan’s conquest we had more pirates,” Rolfe replies. “Each ship had about two-thirds of the crew it does now, too.” Vaughan can hear a rustle of cloth against stone as Rolfe shifts about. “Ever since the Valg, a lot of the families and clans on the other islands have stopped sending their children to be raised as pirates. Used to be, teenagers and young adults would come to Skull’s Bay for opportunities. Now they stay where they are and farm or fish.”

Vaughan hums. He supposes that all makes sense. “Adarlan?” he prompts.

“Oh, right.” Rolfe falls silent for a moment before taking a fortifying breath. “We were starving. We couldn’t trade and make a decent profit, and none of the various rebel groups trusted us enough to help us. The Islands, it turns out, are not all that self-sufficient. So we starved, and I couldn’t do anything to help my people.” Rolfe pauses again, as if he’s picking his words. “Then one day, a man approached me, said he had a way to keep my people from dying, we could turn a tidy profit, that sort of thing.”

“The slaver.” Vaughan curls his lip in disgust. “And you agreed.”

“Yes.” Rolfe sighs heavily. “I knew it was wrong, that it was a stain that would forever mark my conscience, but I couldn’t see any alternatives. So I said yes. The man set up his slaving operation with us, made us a waystation. He would collect slaves in Skull’s Bay and then pay us to ship them to Rifthold.”

“How many?” Vaughan asks. He’s trying desperately to keep his temper, but his vision is blurring, his heart is thundering, and he’s starting to pant harshly.

“I don’t know,” Rolfe admits quietly. “At first it was just enough to keep us afloat. The slaver, Rickard Ulrande, originally promised to pay us handsomely to use our ‘facilities.’ But then he'd claim something had happened to the shipment, or it had taken too long, or he wanted a higher profit margin. So he'd skim from us, and eventually started to collect more and more slaves for us to ship. I think maybe we saw seven or eight hundred slaves pass through in six months. It was mostly about a hundred people a month, but that last shipment had two hundred.”

“The one Aelin freed.”

“Yes. I didn’t want to up the number of slaves, but we were only barely keeping our heads above water. It was better than when we were on our own, but only by a tiny margin. And Ulrande had started threatening to choke us out even more, to force us to ship more and more people. Then Aelin came and forced me to put a stop to it all.” Rolfe sucks quietly on his teeth before continuing, “I didn’t hate her because she’d screwed up my great business enterprise. I was glad she’d forced me to stop. But by doing so, she put my people back in danger again, and I hated her for that.”

"You put your own people above all of the people you treated as nothing more than breathing cargo," Vaughan hisses.

Rolfe sighs. “This is the best-kept secret on the Islands, but Ilena has a contact in Antica. We set it up so we took the elderly, young, and married slaves, as well as ones in families, and shipped them to Antica. Ilena’s contact paid us what they would have sold for at the auction block in Rifthold, and then set them free as citizens of the khaganate. Then we used that money and the money from Rifthold to pay back Ulrande. When Aelin interfered, I was terrified that what little protection I could offer would be gone.” He pauses for a moment, and then adds quietly, "I know it doesn't make things better, but we did what we could to protect the people who came through."

“Did Captain know?” Vaughan asks. He’s not sure how to take this new piece of information. Yes, Rolfe saved some people, but he still traded in slaves, he still made a profit from other people’s lack of freedom, and he picked and chose who got freed.

“Yes. Eleira and Ilena were in charge of coordinating the Antica shipments. I’m guessing they didn’t tell you?” At Vaughan’s affirmative grunt, Rolfe explains, “I swore them to secrecy, the kind of secrecy they wouldn’t break on pain of death.”

“How did you survive?” Vaughan asks. From the way Rolfe has painted it, they shouldn’t have survived at all.

“Luck,” Rolfe answers. “Ulrande came back about a week later, demanding to know what had happened to the latest shipment. I explained what had happened, that we would no longer be his pawns, and then we took him hostage.” Rolfe pauses, and Vaughan imagines the man is grinning. “We ransomed him out, and got quite a pretty penny for it. Then, because the trade Aelin had interrupted was between the Islands and her old master, Arobynn Hamel, he started sending people after us. We ran quite the lucrative hostage and ransom trade.”

Vaughan grunts again. The man certainly seems earnest, although it’s a bit hard to tell from the other side of the wall. Might as well trust him, he decides. “My parents sold me into the queen’s service when I was young,” he finally says.

Rolfe is silent for a beat before hissing. “What?”

Vaughan nods. He knows Rolfe can’t see him, but still. “I’m from a tiny coastal village far north of Doranelle,” he explains. “They survive almost entirely on fish and barter with one another.” Gods, it’s hard to relay this story without falling back into his memories. “When I was twenty or so, the fish started to dry up. No one had any food, and the soil isn’t good enough to grow anything. Every so often, the queen sends members of her court to look for new talent and power and skill. It just so happened that that year, one of her soldiers came through our village.”

“And he bought you?” Rolfe sounds horrified.

“He made an offer my parents and the rest of the village couldn’t refuse. I was the strongest, magically at least, and Maeve’s soldier instantly picked me as one the queen would want in her court. My family didn’t want to send me away, but then he explained that the entire village would be kept well-fed and comfortable for as long as I obeyed the queen. So they agreed. I was taken to Maeve's palace in Doranelle and forced to demonstrate m skills and abilities. She decided I would be a useful asset to her inner court, and I was forced to swear the blood oath."

“Is that how she formed her court?” Rolfe asks. “She just abducted kids and bound you all to herself?”

Vaughan huffs a rueful laugh. If he hides behind humor, maybe it won’t be so painful. “Some. She had a dozen different ways to collect people. Some were sadists, and I suppose like calls to like. Some were so hurt and broken inside they couldn’t see her offer for the trap it really was. Some thought she loved them and they loved her.” He pauses and concludes, “I’ve never been able to go back to my old village, but I’ve always blamed Maeve more than them.”

Rolfe is silent, and Vaughan hopes the man can see what Vaughan is trying to say. Vaughan can’t and won’t ever really forgive Rolfe for getting drawn into trading slaves. But he is willing to accept that the pirate didn’t do it willingly, and that more of the blame should fall on the Ulrande character.

\---

The next big conversation they have is about two weeks later, when Rolfe asks, “How did you survive, living under Maeve?”

“What do you mean?” Vaughan asks. _Do you want the literal answer, the figurative answer, the desperate answer, or the true answer?_

“Well, she was a bitch, and a demon, and pure evil, and she had you and the prince and the other Fae males tied to her, right? So how did you survive? I mean, you’re sane and rational, you don’t seem to be a sadistic villain, and you can talk about her.”

Vaughan snorts, a sharp, harsh sound. “I can only talk about her because I don’t think about it,” he mutters. He doesn’t really care if Rolfe can hear him, but he says, “Lorcan and Rowan and Gavriel. And, to some extent, the twins.”

“The twins?” Rolfe prompts. “I’m guessing one was the blond with the curls, the White Wolf of Doranelle?”

“Fenrys. The other one was Connall.” Vaughan snorts. “Fenrys only started dying his hair blond because he and Connall looked identical.”

Rolfe is silent for a moment, and Vaughan assumes the man’s noting the past tense for Connall. “I’m so sorry,” the pirate murmurs, before continuing, “So you were all a big family?”

“No. Rowan was too wrapped in his grief to worry about much else, but he’d sit in silence with you if you needed a quiet presence nearby. Lorcan hated all of us, especially the twins, because he was in love with Maeve. Fenrys hated all of us but also desperately wanted our approval. Connall couldn't care less about anyone other than his brother. At first, anyway. Gavriel was the best of us. He was a strong, steady presence when we needed it. And he was the oldest.”

“Lorcan was in love with Maeve?” Rolfe repeats. “I thought he fell for the Lady of Perranth.”

Vaughan shrugs. He has yet to meet Lorcan’s latest lover, although it does seem like the male’s fallen ass over teakettle for her. “Lorcan was a puppy begging for attention,” he finally explains. “He hated the twins because Maeve took them to bed over him. And Fenrys hated him because Fenrys hates everyone.”

“Did he hate you and Rowan and Gavriel?” Rolfe asks.

“Who, Fenrys? He didn’t much care about me, I kept to myself. Neither of us wanted to be there, so I suppose he saw some kinship in me. Rowan was Fenrys’ mentor and teacher, the two sort of got along, but mostly through friendly ribbing and shared asshole tendencies. Gavriel was the only one Fenrys would willingly talk to. Like I said, Gavriel was there for all of us. Most of us saw him as a father figure. He was the most even-tempered of us.” Vaughan leans his head back against the wall, feeling his throat close up. He’ll have to remember to find the male’s grave next time he’s in Orynth. Vaughan owes it to him.

“I meant Lorcan. But Fenrys, too, I suppose,” Rolfe corrects after a minute. “Did Lorcan hate you and Rowan and Gavriel?”

Vaughan clears his throat. Lorcan, he can focus on Lorcan. “Not really. Lorcan looked up to Gavriel, although he was always the most short-tempered with the Lion. I think maybe because Gavriel always, _always_ , advised caution first. Lorcan hated that, either because he felt patronized or because he hated having to cool his heels and rage quietly rather than burst into action. Lorcan and Rowan were really close, actually. I know they spent at least a couple of decades in each other’s beds, oh, a century or so ago. But then Rowan fell for Aelin, and Lorcan felt betrayed.”

“And you and Lorcan?” Rolfe asks. “You’ve said how all of them related to each other, not really to you.”

Vaughan sighs. “Lorcan and I, we’re cut from very similar cloth. We’d spend decades as best friends and occasional lovers only to have some argument and be worst enemies for the next few decades.” He shrugs, even if he knows Rolfe can’t see it. “It was exhausting, honestly. But we always came back to each other.” He huffs a wry laugh. “Probably why Maeve sent me after him. Well, that and she didn’t have anyone else.”

“So why be here now?” Rolfe asks. There’s an odd note to his voice, one that Vaughan can’t quite decipher. “Why not stay in Terrasen with Lorcan and Rowan and Aelin and Fenrys?”

Vaughan lets his head thuk back against the wall. He stares up at the ceiling. _Is that jealousy? Is Rolfe jealous?_ “Lorcan’s fallen in love. For real this time. Rowan’s got a mate. Also for real this time. Fenrys has a family and a place in their court. I don’t.”

“But why come here? You could’ve gone anywhere else, back to Doranelle, back to your village, off to some tiny little cottage in the middle of nowhere. Why come to the Islands? Why decide to be a pirate?” Rolfe pushes.

“Except for my trip from Doranelle to Terrasen, I haven’t been allowed near salt water in one hundred eighty-two years,” he replies. “Living in Doranelle, the City of Rivers, was torture. I couldn’t… everything felt _wrong_ , like the water was perverted and twisted. I got to choose my life, so I chose the sea.”

Rolfe hums quietly, letting that sit between them for a moment. “Why us? Why not go to some port town where no one knew you and you could live as a hermit by the sea?”

“I never liked solitude,” Vaughan says. “I don’t like chatter, and people tend to assume that means I don’t like company. But I do.”

Rolfe shifts quietly before murmuring, “I’m glad you decided to join us.”

“I’m glad, too.”

\---

A month later, Rolfe declares he's bored. "Can we play a game to pass the time?" he asks. "It's easy, just learning about each other. I feel like we don't know all that much about each other, even though we've been stuck with each other for months. So, are you interested?"

Vaughan hums, thinking it over. It's nice to feel like he has a friend, and one typically knows more about their friends than he does about Rolfe. Plus, the man has a point. Between the sail on the _Dragon_ and now this captivity in Xandria, they've had plenty of opportunities to get to know each other better. "Fine," he replies, trying to sound slightly annoyed. He does have a taciturn, grumpy image to maintain, after all.

Rolfe chuckles. "All right, I'll go first. Um, okay. What's your favorite color?"

"My favorite color?" Vaughan closes his eyes and thinks. He's never really had to think of what his favorite color would be. "I guess the deep turquoise of the sea, more on the green side than blue, when it's a calm day and it isn't about to storm."

"Really? Very interesting. Mine is a deep, burgundy red. Not really bright, per se, but richer and darker. All right, your turn. Don't forget you also have to answer whatever you ask."

Vaughan makes a quiet noise of assent as he thinks of his question. "If you could live as any animal, what animal would you live as? Why?"

"Hmm, that's a good one. I think I'd live as a frog. Quiet enough that no one bothers them, and unimportant enough they don't have to worry about much. But they can live on the water or on land, and I could never choose to be confined to the land. What about you? An osprey, I'm guessing?" Rolfe asks.

Vaughan chuckles. "Maybe. I'd get to eat fish all day and settle over the water. But, uh, no, actually. If I were to live as an animal for the rest of my life, it would be as a tiny saltwater fish. Small enough to belong in a school of fish rather than alone. I'd fit anywhere, and I'd live forever in the ocean." He's quiet for a minute before adding, "Don't ever visit Varese."

"What? Why not?" Rolfe sounds curious, and Vaughan huffs a quiet chuckle.

"Fried frog legs and frog eggs are the favored dish among the Varese taverns. It's right on a river, and a lot of the richer taverns have their own frog farms where they breed and grow frogs to fry and serve to patrons."

"Ugh, okay, moving on. What's more important, life or pride?" Rolfe asks.

Vaughan sighs. "Pride. I lived with none for so long that I would rather die a proud male than live in shame. What about you?"

Rolfe shifts before responding, "Life, I think. I would rather live, even if ashamed of myself and with no pride, than die just to retain my sense of pride." He pauses and sighs. "My life matters more than my sense of self-worth." He grunts. "Your turn."

"I guess a lighter question is in order. Have you had any other kids?" He's not entirely sure why he's asked it, since now he'll have to figure out if _he's_ had any kids as well.

"Huh. I don't know, it's certainly possible. I've had a few lovers over the years, including Eleira, but I don't know that I've gotten any of them pregnant. Well, the female ones anyway. It's unlikely I sired a child on any of my male lovers." He huffs a quiet chuckles and says, "Honestly, I doubt it. There aren't any children running about Skull's Bay, other than Shane, who'd be about the right age."

"It is very possible I have children in the world somewhere. Or descendants of some flavor," offers Vaughan. "Not likely, but definitely possible." Rolfe makes a questioning noise, and Vaughan explains, "It's difficult for Fae to conceive. It's easier for a full Fae and a human to conceive, but it doesn't matter whether the Fae partner is male or female, it is just as hard to conceive a child. Most of the demi-Fae roaming Wendlyn and the Fae lands are the products of one night, either by choice or not. Most people in a long relationship tend to use contraceptives if they don't want to conceive." He pauses, trying to figure out how to word what he's trying to say. "I've never really been attracted to people physically the first time we meet. And when I do decide to bed someone, it's generally for longer than a few weeks or even a season."

"Ah. So what you're saying is most of the lovers you took were people you already knew. And you remained lovers with them for a while, so you probably would've known about any pregnancies," Rolfe supplies.

"Yes. Although Gavriel fell in love with a human woman and stayed with her for a while before being called away. He never knew she'd borne a son." Vaughan rests his head back against the wall. "And I also lean more towards males than females. So the likelihood of a pregnancy would be lower, even if I bedded people immediately."

"Would you ever want a kid?" Rolfe asks. "Obviously my answer is yes. I don't get to be a big part of his life, but I will be forever grateful Shane happened. And I will be forever grateful Eleira lets me see him and spend time with him."

Vaughan shrugs. "I don't know if I'd want a kid. I can barely manage myself and everything I need and want to do. How would I care for a kid as well? But I think, maybe someday, it would be nice to care for a child, to raise them and pass on the family stories." He sighs, racking his brain for another question. "Okay, would you rather eat two tarantulas or an entire raw fish? Why?"

"What? That's kind of random." Rolfe hums quietly, debating internally. Finally, he says, "Tarantulas. But I'd squash them first so they couldn't bite me on the way down. The only reason I pick that is because I don't want to worry about what harm fish bones might do to my insides."

Vaughan hums. "I would shift and eat the fish."

Rolfe snorts. "I'm fairly sure that's cheating, but okay. Let's see, would you rather be forced to spend hours with a group of people you hate, or be forced to do something you hate for hours? I'd say the first one, because I'd be happy enough to insult them while pretending to compliment them. It's quite fun, especially if you're good at it." Vaughan can pretty easily imagine the smirk on Rolfe's face.

"I've had to do both." He thinks for a moment before saying, "I'd rather spend time with people I hate for the same reason. But also because I can always try to hide in the corner and glower at anyone coming too near. Then I'm still 'spending time' with them, just not _with_ them."

The two trade questions back and forth for a while longer, ranging from the silly ( _Which is better, purple lizards or white palm trees and why?_ ) to the profound ( _What do you think is the most important thing to remember about life?_ ) to the uncomfortable ( _If you had to pick one friend to live, who would it be?_ ). They end up playing off and on for a few days, whiling away the time until Eleira, via Ghost Story, stages a rescue mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will always take constructive criticism, especially for the discussion at the beginning. I wasn't entirely sure how to balance Rolfe's slaving past in a way that didn't make him a good person but that he could be forgiven. I hope I found a decent balance. If I didn't please, _please_ tell me, and I can try to fix it.
> 
> Just to be clear: slavery is very, very bad. I do not condone it.


End file.
